27 Things To Do Before I Turn 27

Hi Friends,

As I sit typing this 25th part to the "confessions" blog, I am munching on a vegan, gluten and dairy free Justin's Peanut Butter Cup. Sometimes, on a rainy and fog night, you just need to have a little bit of chocolate. Sweet to the lips with that soft, peanut butter taste, encased with rich, dark chocolate.

It's the "little things."
:)

For the past 3 days, a friend from college and I went on a "mini-vacation" to New Hampshire to visit another friend. This friend shared with us endless accounts of her time teaching English abroad in Vietnam. I even got to try some Vietnamese food for the first time! While on this excursion, I learned that sometimes, the best conversations occur during car rides. My friend shared with me that she had started a list of important things that she wanted accomplish. She encouraged me to start my own "list," specifically, a list encompassing the "27 things that I want to do before I turn 27" next month.

Anyway, I thought it was a great exercise and it really required me to think about things that were important to me. My friend also encouraged me to ask myself the question whenever I intend to do anything or make a purchase: "Does this bring me joy?"

With this support, I did, indeed, take her advice and comprised a list of 27 things, one for each day in the month of January. Because, I turn 27 on the 26th of January, one of the days will have "two" things that I am setting out to accomplish. My goal is to chronicle these "27" sequential goals with a written blog post every day. It is my hope that I learn about myself through this process, as well as seeking to set goals for myself that slightly stretch me out of my comfort zone.

This is a journey in which I seek to grow and learn from my choices. Rather than serving as a "checklist," I hope that I am also able to learn about my neighbors, my family, the people around me, those that I surround myself with, and everyday strangers.

As such, here is my list of the "27 things." What would you add to this list? Please feel free to comment below.

Cheers!
-alex

27 Things To Do Before I Turn 27

1. Paint my nails
2. Work out for 4 consecutive days
3. Leave a note of encouragement in a random place.
4. Get up early and make myself breakfast
5. Spend at least 10 minutes in the morning in silence for 3 days.
6. 5 consecutive day social media fast
7. Make a birthday cake for a family member.
8. Bake gluten and dairy free cookies
9. Listen to live music
10. Pay for something for a stranger
11. Encourage my co-workers
12. Wear a ribbon in my hair
13. Order takeout
14. Choose 5 words from the newspaper and use them to write a poem.
15. Go out to dinner.
16. Host a reunion.
17. Paint
18. Make an edible bird feeder for my feathered friends.
19. Meet someone new.
20. Make a snow angel.
21. Paint with my students on canvases.
22. Stargaze.
23. Go bowling.
24. Make a bouquet of flowers.
25. Plant flowers.
26. Have a birthday party AND do something new (aka: say "yes" to something that I would otherwise say "no" to: albeit, healthy, of course!)