Autumn is (by far) my favourite season and, according to a poll which I recently and informally held on Instagram, a lot of my viewers share these sentiments. Surrounded by crisp blue skies, the warmth of a bonfire and the drifting warmth of a pumpkin pie, I think it is impossible not to get caught up in the coziness and beauty which is just signature to Autumn. However, having said this, by the time that December comes around, I often feel as though I haven't had a chance to do everything Autumnal which I had been hoping to do. The season just seems to go remarkably fast... Before we know it, we'll be exchanging our pumpkin candles for fir tree (which is still lovely but not comparable!!). Thence, I wanted to share an Autumn Bucket List with you. My intention is that we can all make our way through this list, sharing our experiences with others by using the hashtag #OurPumpkin. If you complete something from this list, you can use the tag on Instagram or Twitter (or maybe even share it via a YouTube video!) to share a photo or a written commentary. Not only will you feel more autumnal and cozy yourself but you can help others to embrace the beauty of this season too. I will be tracking and sharing my progress on this list so do follow me on Instagram (@_rubygranger) if you are interested to see what I get up to this autumn. I will also be looking at all posts which are tagged with #OurPumpkin so I look forward to seeing what you get up to...
Below, you can find the complete Bucket List. I will also be designing and uploading a printable document which you can keep a hard copy of if you would like. Do let me know what you think of this idea in the comments section because I was really keen to bring us all together this autumn and thought that this might be the perfect way to do this! Also, let me know if you have any suggestions to add to this list -- after all, it is OUR pumpkin ;)
THE BUCKET LIST ITSELF:
Study when it’s raining outside.
Eat something pumpkin flavoured.
Re-read Harry Potter Hallowe’en passages
Make pumpkin pie
Carve a pumpkin
Dress up for Hallowe’en
Read a Hygge Self-Help book
Drink hot chocolate
Buy or make a candle
Go to a corn maze
Invite friends over to watch a film
Try a new autumnal snack
Make a list of the things which you are thankful for
Curl up under blankets to read
Make your own paper or parchment
Write a letter to somebody
Roast marshmallows with friends or family
Go on a walk on a crisp autumn morning
Make or eat caramel apples
Read an autumn-edition home magazine and cut out your favourite pictures to make a mood board. If this fails, make a board on Pintrest.
Take a photo of yourself in your favourite autumn jumper
Try and draw something autumnal
I have been daily journaling for years now. I’ve always kept a diary (at least since I first read Diary of a Wimpy Kid when I saw eight!), but when I was fifteen I decided to make it a part of my evening routine. Every night, before going to bed, I will think back on the day which has passed and mull over any thoughts or ideas which have been on my mind. It’s a really great way to rationalise the irrational, appreciate what should be appreciated, and be more mindful of the present moment. We don’t often give ourselves a space where we can interact with ourselves on a really personal level -- but journaling can provide this space. When we journal, we give ourselves the time and medium to really think about things.
I journal about anything and everything. But, when reading through old journals one summer's day, I realised that kindness was a recurring theme in my entries. When someone did something kind for me, it was always the thing I most wanted to talk about. After all, as I think we can all agree, kindness touches us profoundly. From my journals, I could see how much I wanted to reflect on and think about the kind things which had been done for me, and so I drafted up a structured journal template which would help me do just this. I then shared this with close friends and family and encouraged them to use it too. With some really positive feedback and results all round, I set out to make The Kindness Journal: a journal which would provide a space for people to really reflect upon kindness.
The book pairs one page of structured journaling with one page of free journaling. It first encourages you to think about what happened that day, providing journal prompts and questions to help in your reflection process. Then, on the blank pages, you can think more deeply about these things. I think it’s a really valuable mix, especially for kindness journaling.
I also decided to intersperse the book with my favourite handwritten quotes about kindness. I love the daily inspirational quotes on Momentum (the chrome extension) -- they always fill me with motivation for the day ahead -- and I wanted for the journal to offer this same experience. Each of the quotes are carefully hand-picked and encourage you to think about the nature of kindness and its importance. These actually turned out to be some of my favourite things in the journal!