There’s nothing quite like spring at Brown: The sun is shining, trees are blooming and it feels like the whole school is having one big picnic on the Main Green. When I look at this picturesque scene, I can’t ignore an underlying sense of impending doom otherwise known as summer break. The threat of upcoming finals, as well as the end of my first year at Brown, hangs in the air. But instead of being paralyzed by these end-of-year scaries, I have found a simple and creative way to fend off the unwelcome feelings of such a quickly approaching fate: bucket lists. For everyone feeling intimidated by how quickly college seems to be passing by, making a bucket list can prolong the end of the fleeting semester.
By breaking up the monotony of the semester’s routine, bucket lists slow time and help us live in the moment. At this point in the school year, we can visualize every week left before summer break, each one consisting largely of the same activities: going to class, studying and grabbing meals at the dining hall. The monotony of such a routine has been proven to make time feel as though it’s moving faster. When nothing significant marks our days, they begin to blur together. However, a bucket list prevents us from merely switching on autopilot and helps us live with intention. It provides a host of fun activities that each serve as a break in routine. Whether our goal is personal growth, joy or just living a bit more recklessly, the journey to achieving these can add unconventional excitement to our day-to-day.
We all know the sense of accomplishment that comes from crossing something off a to-do list. This feeling comes from checking off any kind of goal, not just far-fetched objectives. Your bucket list can consist of small things that are easy but otherwise not prioritized in the everyday. You don’t need to do the Naked Donut Run or run in the Providence Marathon. Bucket lists can include any goals, events or random ideas you want to try, simply allowing us to feel small, daily moments of victory. Walking 30,000 steps in a day, going to a new Providence coffee shop, climbing the Faunce House fire escape, exploring a new building on campus, learning how to tight-rope walk on the Main Green or picking a favorite tree on campus are all valuable activities to pursue.
Bucket lists have been proven to improve self-esteem, a necessary remedy for those feeling apprehensive when faced with finals. Checking off many fun or small tasks can be a welcome respite from the much more daunting undertakings we all face at the end of the semester, from studying to packing to finding a summer job. Especially if your bucket list includes some self-care — like a movie night with tons of Trader Joe’s snacks or spending an hour by the river — you might have otherwise foregone, the list is a multifaceted way to encourage personal wellbeing during this stressful period.
Bucket lists are also a wonderful way to take advantage of the remaining time you have with your peers and college living as a whole. Try a new restaurant, go to the beach in Newport, spend a day in a hammock on the Quiet Green — and do it all with friends by your side. Intentional communal activities are part of what makes the college experience so meaningful, as it is one of the only times individuals are constantly surrounded by peers who support and challenge each other. Yet these moments of meaning easily get lost in the hectic day-to-day. A bucket list can encourage students to pursue fun activities together, make lasting memories and capitalize on the remaining time we have in Providence. Even the activity of making the bucket list itself — washi tape, markers and stickers in hand — can be a fun and meaningful way to spend quality time with the people you care about before the summer.
Many of us might associate college bucket lists with senior year, a way to ensure we complete all of our final rites before graduating. But an end-of-semester bucket list mustn’t, and shouldn’t, be confined to such finality. For those of us who are coming back next semester, now is still the time to make a bucket list. Use the pressure of the summer hiatus as an opportunity to recognize the importance of making use of fleeting time while there is still an opportunity to return and try again. Living one’s life with a bucket list in mind will ensure that jovial moments of presentness do not always have to be paired with a bittersweet end.
While making fun into an achievement-based activity may seem contradictory, bucket lists are an incredible way to push ourselves out of our comfort zones. So have a day of compliment giving, learn how to play Spikeball or talk to seven new people. Fill your time with things that make your Brown experience fulfilling, joyful and satisfying before leaving College Hill. But remember, you only reap the benefits if you actually start checking things off. So get out your marker, craft your epic bucket list and make the most out of your last month of the school year.
Talia Berkwits ’29 can be reached at talia_berkwits@brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
Talia Berkwits is a staff columnist. She is from Chicago, IL and undecided on her concentration. She loves cooking (but not cleaning up) and one of her goals is to visit all 50 states.
