Twenty-eight Things

“But as each year went by, she didn't feel much different than she had before. Time kept going by and she was just here, the same.” Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close

As I was reading Girls in White Dresses a while ago, this quote jumped out at me and has been hanging around since. This quote has been pretty accurate for my life, especially the last few years. I’ve done a few “adventurous” things, but I’ve just become so stagnant in my life.  Don’t get me wrong, I really love the majority of the things in my life but I tend to have this fear that I’m missing out on something else too. Maybe that’s a nudge telling me to push myself. Maybe that’s a whisper I need to recognize. A prod to put myself out there, to try new things, to grow, and to be okay with the change that comes.

Each year on my birthday, I make a list of things I want to achieve over the course of the year as an attempt to combat this feeling of being “the same” Mira. A few years ago I decided I was going to be selfish for the entire year. Last year I had a goal to “be open” to whatever came my way. This year I decided that I wanted to learn, experience, and try new things. I was inspired to make a list, corresponding to my age, of all the things I wanted to do. Some of the items are very practical, some are things I’ve never done before, and some are infrequent practices I’d like to turn into habits. 

28 Things To Do This Year

1. Go to dinner and a movie by myself.

2. Take a cooking, barista, or self-defense class. (Yes, I realize these are very different. I'll do whichever one is the cheapest.)

3. Learn how to change a tire.

4. Go to a city I've never been to before. (Perhaps whatever city Hanging Rock is in?)

5. Ask a guy out on a date.

6. Take a pottery or glass blowing class.

7. Go golfing with Kevin Kohles. (There is a hilarious story that accompanies this goal that I'd love to share at some point.)

8. Bake bread from scratch.

9. Blog once a week. 

10. Only buy books for people at Christmas.

11. Go an entire day without social media. 

12. Refinance/consolidate/apply for loan forgiveness on my student loans.

13. Go to an open mic night and read my fiction writing. 

14. Have a daily quiet time.

15. Build this bookshelf.

16. Make a new friend.

17. Get glasses.

18. And $50 to my savings account each month. 

19. Watch 52 Ted Talks. (One per week.)

20. Make all my friends' birthday cards.

21. Wake up, go downtown, and watch the sun rise over downtown Durham.

22. Wear my hair straight for a week.

23. Spend an afternoon in a park with a book.

24. Create an art journal.

25. Go to a writing or artist Meetup group.

26. Create my own, professional website based on my fiction writing, my photography, and my other creative talents.

27. Tour a brewery. 

28. Become more confident. 

I'm sure I'll lean on others for several of these tasks. I'm ready to learn, experience a bit more than what currently resides in my box, and grow.