When my twin girls went to preschool, they learned what fills their bucket. I’d say, “I love you Sydney.” Or, “I love you Riley.” And they’d respond, “You just filled my bucket.” They learned that positive words, emotions and experiences fill their buckets. It's such a sweet way to process the world, and a smart practice for adults too. Surround yourself with the positive and you can fill your bucket.
I was thinking about this recently when we had family in town. I did something unusual. I accidentally unplugged. I’m not really a person who unplugs. It’s not a workaholic thing; it’s more of a productivity thing. If I get an extra moment when my daughters are at school or asleep, I’m going to use that moment to knock something off my work or personal lists. Time is so invaluable (and hard to come by as a parent) and I have goals to achieve. Plus, I love the feeling of going after my To Do lists like a warrior.
So, with family in town, I mapped out the weekend for fun. Hikes. Restaurants. Pool. Movies. One thing ran into another, three days flew by, and I realized that I left my To Do lists untouched.
I didn’t panic.
I didn’t stay up late to dive into my To Do lists.
I didn’t get up earlier to tackle them either.
I didn’t even think about my lists--totally not my normal way of being.
It wasn’t until after the visit ended that I realized I totally unplugged.
- I let the dirty laundry stack up.
- I didn’t use an extra 30 minutes in between activities to squeeze in some work.
- I didn’t think about work.
- I didn’t stress.
- I slept well.
It felt good to spend time differently. I realized ...
- The world didn’t end.
- I had a lot of fun.
- We all created some valuable family memories.
- The days felt longer in a good way.
- I captured lots of photos of smiling faces.
- My daughters had an amazing time.
- I felt really happy.
When it was time to get back to work, I was behind in both arenas—work and the personal stuff—but I still felt good. I felt full from life and restored. I soaked up the time spent with family and friends fully present. Accidentally unplugging reminded me of what really fills my bucket.
Sandra Bilbray is a nationally published writer, positive human, and publisher of Asheville Macaroni Kid. She lives in Asheville with her husband, twin girls and two dogs. Email Sandra at SandraB@macaronikid.com
