Yesterday, I entered my last year as a teenager. I know everyone says it, but I really cannot believe how fast time has gone. The question has been asked, "does nineteen feel different," and honestly as with any age, the answer is of course, "no." However, I will admit that there is a sense of urgency with this age, as if suddenly it has occurred to me that I am steps away from adulthood. It has been brought to my attention that there are multiple things, (lets say 20), that I have wanted to do for a while now, but have been putting off. So, I've decided to put a deadline on myself I have until I turn 20 to try and do each of these things, and my hope is that this blog will hold me accountable to it. That being said, here are my 20 Things to Do Before I Turn 20.
1. Visit a New State
I love to travel, but for most of my life, I have only visited the same three or four states, repeatedly. Ideally, I want to venture off of the East Coast, but there are still some states along the Eastern Seaboard that I haven't seen, and would love to. Regardless, I want to see a new state in the coming year.2. Get my Second Piercing
I was going to get my second hole pierced in my ear on my 18th birthday, the first day I would not need my parent's permission for this, but I chickened out. I will not chicken out this year, folks. (I might but I am going to do my best not to.)
3. Go Abroad
Hopefully January of 2017 I will be studying abroad, making it the first time in my 19 years that I have left the country. I am a hopeless wanderer, and it makes me so excited about learning a new culture and being in a new country/continent. If I do not do this, I will be extremely angry at myself.
4. Vote
This year is the presidential election. I will be doing my civic duty and voting.
5. Dye My Hair
I have also been saying I am going to do this for the past year or so, and I am finally going to go to the store, and buy the hair dye that will most likely make me cry when I see how badly I did, but I am going to give it my best shot! I'm thinking ombre.
6. Write a Love Letter to Myself to Open in 10 Years
It's been a long process of learning to love myself over these past few years, and I want to remind myself of that when I am 30. Thirty, flirty, and thriving.
7. Read At Least One Book a Month
I've really fallen out of reading for fun, and I want to get back into that. It's sad to say that my goal is one book a month, but life is busy, y'all. Also I have 19 other things to do.
8. Make a Blanket Fort and Watch Movies in it
9. Be Published in Some Way Shape or Form
A magazine, online publication, newspaper, something! My career is not going to wait for me, I have to go out and get it. Also, I feel like I need this validation... I'm kidding, mostly.
10. Write in a Journal Everyday
This is going to help me become a better writer, but also is a great way to destress and reflect. Sounds like exactly what I need.
11. Learn ASL
I am honestly fascinated by American Sign Language, and have picked up words and phrases here and there, but I want to be able to communicate more proficiently.
12. Stay Active
Or maybe, get active? I want to do one thing a day that I personally would consider active. I'm not planning on running a half marathon here.
13. Volunteer More
I volunteered a lot more in high school than I have since coming to college, and I want to get back into that. It's such a great way to do good and feel good, and I need more of that in my life.
14. Eat Sushi
I never have, and according to all of my friends I'm missing out. I plan on at least giving it a try, but I make no promises about liking it.
15. Visit the Edgar Allan Poe Museum
It's 20 minutes away, I'm a huge nerd, and I still haven't been there. This is officially my life goal and I must accomplish it.
16. Recreate Childhood Photos.
This will allow me to reminicse, probably give them to my mom as a present (forget you read that, mom...), and spend quality time with
my family. Plus, I really love pictures. I see no downside.
my family. Plus, I really love pictures. I see no downside.
17. Get a Member of Each Fraternity and Sorority on Campus to Come to Small Group
Recently, my Alpha Gam sister, Lindsay, and I started a bible study small group for members of Fraternity and Sorority life, and it went really well. We had four different organizations represented, but I would love to see each Greek organization on campus represented.
18. Stay Up All Night
I know this will shock my parents, but I have never pulled an all-nighter. As much as I love sleep, this seems impossible, but I want to give it the old college try. (Literally, it's probably going to be because of homework that I'm up all night, so the old college try is pretty accurate.)
19. Log Off of Social Media for a Day
20. Keep My Plants Alive
So far I have one that looks like it's gone for good and another that is still alive but barely breathing. Basically, I'm a plant murderer, and I want to keep my garden alive and thriving by the time I'm 20.
Hopefully I will accomplish everything on this list, and frankly some of these are too easy not to achieve, but they are the things that I want to do in the next year of my life. It's going to be really busy and I'm rarely going to have a chance to slow down, but that's the best part.
