The Kicking the Bucket List

by Cathy Hopkins

Guilt is an indulgence and – like anger – it eats away at you. Let it go.

Remember the whole. I’ve had a good and full life. Let me go. Just as with birth, none of us can predict how the end will be.

Each flower has its own beauty. Know that and be who you are. Be yourself.

circumstances in life can change. The rich become poor, the poor become rich.

I’ve had a happy and full life. I got to do everything I wanted. I had no need of a bucket list. I’ve had many experiences, known joy, love, as well as sadness, which is part of life;

She had great attitude and embraced death’s inevitability with the same enthusiasm she did every other part of her life. Last time I went to see her, it was like listening to someone who was making holiday plans, checking out the reviews of the destination before they set off. She said it would be like an adventure, like going to the airport, aware she was off somewhere, just not knowing where.’

Grief is like standing on the edge of the ocean. Some days, the water laps around your feet; you know it’s there, it’s manageable. Other days, from nowhere, it blasts in like a tsunami and knocks you right over.

‘The loss of a parent is immense and the pain you feel at their passing is exactly equal to what they meant to you,’ she told me. ‘If you loved someone deeply, you will suffer deeply. Don’t deny it, suppress it or feel you should get over it; feel it and know it is evidence of how much you loved her.’

‘Dear God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference,’

Listen to songs that lift your heart, be with people who inspire you, go to places where you feel peace, cherish the ones you love.’

Choice not chance determines destiny,’ said Martha. ‘And if you’re in a good frame of mind, if you’re happy, then it is easier to react to whatever life throws at you.’

To have a healthy body means that you are free. Don’t underestimate that freedom.’

Breathe in, hold for three, one two three, exhale. Imagine when you breathe in that you are inhaling energy, purity, goodness. When you breathe out, you are letting go of any anger, hatred, fear, bad feeling. OK? Simple. Focus on breath. If thoughts wander, no worry, imagine you are mountain, still and ancient, thoughts are birds flying by overhead, let them go. If thoughts wander, no worry, bring them back to breath. It is your anchor to present moment.’

‘In seeking happiness, if you seek the pleasure of life too intently, you lose the meaning. If you seek the meaning too intently, you lose the pleasure. You need to find a balance.’

Make a circle and divide it into pie-size slices that relate to how much time you give each of the following: spirit, exercise, play, work, friends, romance, adventure.

Let go of worry.

Let go of blame

Let go of people you’ve outgrown or bring you down.

Let go of the need to always be right.

Let go of the need to be in control.

Let go of self-criticism and feeling you have to be perfect.

Let go of anger and complaining.

Let go of needing to impress anyone. It’s liberating.

Let go of believing that happiness lies in the past or future. The past is a closed book, no going back there, the future is an unopened curtain and the show hasn’t started yet.