I turned 19 a few days ago and it felt like quite a big
deal to me. There’s nothing inherently special about a 19th birthday
(other than surviving another 365 days on the humble planet earth), but I woke
up in the morning so full of hope for this next revolution around the sun! I put
on the comfiest dress, let my hair run absolutely wild, and felt simply pretty from my
spunky lipstick to my lavender toenails. And honestly, my day was super great. I
don’t know if it was the family and friends filling me up with love or just my
mood, but somehow 19 made me feel excited for the future.
Lately, I’ve been craving change and honesty and
simplicity in my life. Change to the way I see my world, honesty with myself
about my life and dreams, and simplicity in the little moments taken up by increasingly
reflective journal entries and increasingly addictive cups of coffee. I’ve been
craving trying new things as I meander my way to the person I want to be. Now
one “new thing” I decided to try on my birthday was be a cute coffee shop (because
I am of that trying-to-be-hipster-gone-basic variety), but we can think a little bigger too I suppose.
This is a list of 19 little things I want to try or explore
at this moment after 19 years (and 3 days) of existence. Generally, I want to
take steps toward living more consciously and sustainably, because those things have started
to matter a lot more to me. I also want to feel like I am actively living,
adventuring, experimenting, and growing, and I think this list contains a few
ways that I can really attempt to do that. Okay, and a few of these list items sound
just plain fun--there’s space in life for that too, isn’t there?
19 New Things:
1)
New coffee shops (yes more) and different varieties
of coffee (All that slow drip and French press nonsense at coffee shops, you
know? Also, fair trade!)
2)
Kale (No, I have never tried kale. Yes, I am wary
of its greenness. No, it will not defeat me.)
3)
Spontaneous adventures in nearby cities or my
hometown
4)
Cruelty and toxin-free beauty brands
5)
Thrifting again (I used to love this, then
stopped for a while, and I want to pick it up again!)
6)
Applying for the Disney college program (and,
fingers-crossed, working in the happiest place on earth for a semester!)
7)
Guest writing for websites and/or blog collabs
(Any takers?)
8)
Rock climbing (I love nature and jungle gyms—should
be easy, right?)
9)
Composting
10)
Colorful hair and a facial piercing (It’s for a
summer camp thing, I promise. Pssht, why would I want gorgeous lavender hair
all the time?)
11)
An open-mic night (my church has the most non-judgmental
one and I think that is great.)
12)
Different varieties of ethnic food (of the
vegetarian variety… conflicting goals, I know!)
13)
Designing with Photoshop
14)
Cooking new recipes with healthy ingredients
15)
Regular, actual-real-life-in-person interactions
with friends (These things take planning now as an “adult” and I am not great
at that yet.)
16)
Forming opinions about controversial topics (I
kind of have a fear of confrontation that keeps me from researching matters
that could incite controversy. But I have thoughts and opinions and a voice and
it’s time I got to using those things.)
17)
Working hard and resting consciously (Buh-bye, Netflix binges?)
18)
A yoga class! (And general fitness routine, but
we’ll start with yoga…)
19)
De-cluttering like crazy (my closet, my crafting
supplies—everything.)
Are you interested in trying any of these new things? What
else do you think I could add to this list?
PS: In case you couldn't tell, I got an
Instax Mini 8 for my birthday! Totally impractical but I think that's basically the point of birthday presents. Anyway, be expecting an excess of polaroids in the near future because it is probably the cutest thing I have ever owned. K, that's all. *kisses*
