Keeping lists can help a person get work done or remember items at a grocery store, but the power of list-making has added meaning put in a larger context. List-making can be a simple meditative experience and can also help a person recall some of the greatest moments and aspirations in their life. Imagine yourself keeping a list throughout your life of the moments you most want to remember. Keep this list of the most memorable experiences you have ever had from your childhood through to your final days when your memory might very well be slipping away from you. Think of the day at Fenway Park with your grandfather or the night you met your spouse and a specific look she gave you.

With each passing year looking back at the list will remind you of moments that shaped who you are or possessed great emotional significance.  When all has been said and done and your life passes on, have a person close to you read this list from start to finish at your funeral with special parting words. The pure act of creating this list will bring back memories you nearly forgot that were unique and very special moments. If this idea appeals to you also try making other lifespan lists of significance. The “List of Things to do Before I Die” is a popular one. “The Stuff that Makes Life Worth Living” another of many possibilities.  Keep these lists in a safe place, add or strike through them. Let the lists themselves grow in character and age. Make a public installation of lists and expressions that other people can participate with or save and seal your own lists in a time capsule for future generations.

Below are two lifespan lists I plan to keep and grow over my lifetime as new discoveries or memories become worth adding.

The Things I Most Want to Remember…

Words that Best Express the Wonder of Being Human…