My Spring Bucket List

I'm a firm believer of intentional living, in part, because it has helped me with my seasonal depression. When I make lists of things I would like to do during the current season,

I find that life is simpler and more enjoyable in general. This practice helps me to have positive things to look forward to every single day and it keeps me focused on the here and now.

However, I do not view my seasonal bucket lists as to-do lists. I create and use them with the intent to notice the beauty of each season of the year, and so it doesn't matter to me if I do everything on my list this spring. In fact, I often make adjustments to my list throughout the season.

But I do love to reflect on the little goals and dreams that become my reality, so I keep a gratitude journal every season to savor the things I actually get to do.

I have posted a list for each season this year; click the following links to see my winter, summer, and autumn lists. This approach to the seasons has helped me love winter so much that for the first time in my life, I am not anxious to say goodbye to the cold weather. Yet, I am still excited for spring!

I think of spring as not only a renewal of life, but a renewal of creativity. Thus, spring for me is full of color and art, as you will see throughout this post.

It's also a time when I get into Jane Austen books and movies. I happened to see the 2005 Pride and Prejudice movie for the first time on my birthday, which is March 18th. Two years later, I watched Sense & Sensibility, on my birthday. I guess those happy memories fuel my desire to have tea parties and watch these movies in the spring.

GET OUTSIDE
• Have a picnic  ✓
• Fly a kite
• Blow bubbles
• Feed ducks at a pond or canal  ✓
• Put up a hummingbird feeder
• Walk Memory Grove
• Plant a garden
• Go see the International Peace Gardens
• Walk under cherry blossoms  ✓
• Go to a Chalk Art Festival
• Look for street art in the city
• Play egg roulette
• Bike ride to see blossoms and flowers in the neighborhood
• Go see baby animals  ✓
• Hike to a waterfall

STYLE
• Florals ✓
• Chiffon
• Stripes
• Pointed flats
• Pink
• Coral
• Dusty rose
• Yellow
• Green, lots and lots of green ✓
• Sage green ✓
• Light cardigans ✓
• Cropped jeans ✓

FOOD

• Oatmeal crusted chicken with wild mushrooms and asparagus
• Spring salad: roasted radishes and asparagus, cucumber, carrots, blackberries, feta or parmesan, pistachios, chicken or boiled egg
• Homemade red pepper salmon bisque ✓
• Lobster deviled eggs with chives and parmesan crisps ✓
• Green smoothie
• Cucumber sandwiches ✓
• Corned beef and cabbage ✓
• Green veggie tray
• Green goddess potato salad ✓
• Spring salad 2: cucumbers, strawberries, snap peas, almonds, chicken and or boiled eggs
• Salmon Nicoise salad ✓
• Spring salad 3: fingerling potatoes, soft boiled egg, spring herbs dressing, peas, cucumber
• Creamy asparagus, Yukon gold potato, and basil soup. ✓

TREATS
• Carrot Cake ✓
• Chai spice sweet rolls
• Green velvet, rainbow cake

BEVERAGES
• Chamomile tea ✓
• Raspberry tea ✓
• Blackberry Crio Bru
• Rose and pistachio Crio Bru
• Limeade ✓
• Blackberry lavendar tea ✓
• Blackberry sparkling juice ✓

FLAVORS

• Strawberry ✓

• Blackberry ✓
• Eggs ✓
• Cucumber ✓
• Asparagus ✓
• Peas ✓
• Radishes ✓
• Spinach ✓
• Lemon ✓
• Cabbage ✓
• Carrots ✓
• Rose
• Lavendar ✓

CREATE
• Make a fresh flower arrangement ✓
• Watercolor eggs ✓
• Practice chalk art
• DYI Holi Festival
• Paint a watercolor bouquet
• Lily-of-the-valley wreath

BATH/SPA DAY
• Lilac and chamomile bath
• Jasmine and rose bath

HOLIDAYS
ST PATRICK'S DAY
• Wear green ✓
• Irish Cream Soda
• Irish porter cheddar ✓
• Have dinner at an Irish Pub ✓
• Read Irish Fairytales ✓
• Make treat bags with Rolos and rainbow Airheads ✓
• Rainbow fruit tray
• Make/eat corned beef and cabbage ✓
• Make an Irish apple cake
• Go on a walk and notice any green in nature ✓
• Buy a cute little shamrock plant ✓

EASTER
• Watercolor Easter eggs ✓
• Make coconut cream eggs ✓
• Make peanut butter chocolate eggs ✓
• Play egg roulette
• Lamb chops for dinner on Easter Sunday ✓
• Easter egg hunt ✓

BOOKS
• Irish Fairy and Folk Tales ✓
• Poems about Spring
• The Importance of Being Ernest
• Leaves of Grass
• Pride and Prejudice

MOVIES
• Pride & Prejudice ✓
• Emma
• Sense & Sensibility ✓
• Austenland ✓
• Ferris Beuller's Day Off

MISCELLANEOUS
• Deep clean the house
• Declutter and donate unwanted stuff
• Spring Tea party ✓
• Enjoy French pastries at a local bakery ✓

GRATITUDE
Every season I make a space in my journal or create a note in my phone where I write down the things I am grateful for. It is a simple list of things that make me happy, specifically throughout the season and this simple action brings me such joy. It makes me forget about all the things I didn’t get to do and turns my focus on the simple, everyday joys.

What is something you want to do this spring? Share your thoughts in the comment section below. I would love to add more ideas to my list!