19 New Things to Try at 19

I turned 19 a few days ago and it felt like quite a big deal to me. There’s nothing inherently special about a 19^th 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?

Stay lovely,

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*