Want List

Many, many people make "to do lists," detailing the mundane and not so mundane tasks they seek to accomplish in a day, or a week, or a month. These lists are full of the cleaning and the phone calling and the milk-buying that need to be done. If all the items on the "to do list" are checked off by the end of the day, or the week, or the month, a person has presumably succeeded.
 
Today, I spoke with someone who has a "want list." On it are items large and small, free and not, that she wants. Unlike a "to do list" (which could be called a "need list"), a "want list" is full of things that may not be necessary, but that make us smile. While a "need list" may keep us responsible and on track, a "want list" reminds us that enjoying life matters too. Checking off items on the "to do list" may make us feel virtuous, but hitting the ones on the "want list" can actually make us feel happy.
 
Now, I have never been too great with "to do" lists. For the most part, I can keep my tasks in my head, and even when I do make a list, I tend to stray from it. I am tempted, however, to make a "want list." While it's not binding, it seems that it would be empowering. After all, if what we are working toward is not just making mundane phone calls and ensuring an adequately stocked refrigerator, but instead, being able to have the experiences or items that we want, aren't we more likely to work toward checking items off? We may reference a "to do list" to keep us organized, but we can reference a "want list" to keep us motivated, and to remind us what really matters to us. Even better, a "want list" reminds us that what we want matters, sometimes even more than all the things we have to do.
 
And in the midst of all the cleaning and the phone calling and the milk-buying, a reminder of what we really want--and that what we want matters--can be a very good thing.