How to Make a Bucket List for Marriage

Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson made for strange bedfellows in "The Bucket List."

In 2007, filmmaker Rob Reiner brought the unexpected tearjerker "The Bucket List" to the big screen. In this movie two terminally ill older men decide to spend their waning days doing all of those things they have always wanted to do; completing personal life goals before they "kicked the bucket." The friendship flourished through their shared experiences, which challenged them to go beyond where they dared. For you and your spouse this concept can help you focus your personal goals for the future and make you both partners in the adventure of a lifetime.

Instructions

1. Structure your goals. Make those that demand a lot of freedom and stamina for those years before you become parents, such as owning and riding a motorcycle, living in the city or buying a fixer-upper. Reserve those goals that require savings until after you've amassed a nest egg, such as world travel or buying an RV to travel the country.

2. Include those things which force you and your family to stop and appreciate the little moments. Examples include walks in the rain, erecting a hammock in the backyard for lazy afternoon cuddle-fests, or even growing your own organic garden.

3. Make your love life a priority. As your marriage marches on, intimacy can often take a backseat to juggling work and raising a family. Include more adventurous encounters like learning how to give massages or do sexy stripteases. Give each other the opportunity to live out a fantasy.

4. Include those goals that keep you both connected. Learn to ballroom dance or take French lessons before a trip of a lifetime to Paris. Connect individual bucket lists, like skydiving, climbing Mount Everest or scuba diving, and do them together.

5. Revisit your list periodically. Add those things on it as they occur to you, but also re-evaluate what is already on there and how it fits into your evolving lifestyle. Perhaps make it a part of your anniversary tradition, so that you can keep your life goals in mind and stay on the same page as your partner.

References

• IMDB: The Bucket List
• Simple Marriage: Bucket Lists for Your Family