Old Beginnings

I turned 24 a few days ago. Not really all that impressive of a number or of an age. 24 is one of those in between times in life where you have graduated college but still don't quite feel like you are an adult or know what it is you are supposed to be doing with yourself yet. So to try and remedy this feeling of numerical ennui I am going to start writing here. Writing is something that is easily given up when you are not being asked to turn in assignments or produce grants, press releases, memos, etc. It is a skill that gets easily set aside and once that is done it is increasingly difficult to pick it back up. Writing here will be a, hopefully, daily exercise in not giving things up too easily.

I have a few friends who like to make lists of goals for themselves each year around their birthdays. They call it a 24 before 25 list or 20 before 21 whatever the case may be. I've never been a big list person and my goals usually exist in a kind of vague mist like state that floats somewhere in the back of my mind. But I'm going to give it a try and to start holding myself more accountable. And so for my first post, here is my 24 goals before I turn 25 list.

1. Post on this blog at least 5 days a week.
2. Really work on developing my photography skills.
3. Expand my cooking skills. Don't just read food blogs but actually try some of the recipes.
4. Apply for graduate school....and start working on a plan for how to pay for it.....
5. Find an exercise routine that I both enjoy and am able to stick with.
6. Get my passport stamped. Or at the very least take a nice road trip somewhere.
7. Explore my city more.
8. Explore Seattle more.
9. Spend more time with family.
10. Ask for what I want. Stop being on the sidelines of relationships and events.
11. Be more deliberate with my food choices. No dieting, just being more conscious of what I'm eating.
12. Create something at least once a month. Literally anything.
13. Start saving regularly. When I find a job I'd like to start setting aside about 20% of every paycheck into a savings account.
14. Get involved in the community.
15. Garden. Get some dirt on my hands every once in awhile.
16. Make friends. Why does this seem to get harder as you get older? I've never been great at it but I'm going to give it a shot.
17. Read nonfiction more often. And along with this, stay informed on world events.
18. Less screen time. This seems kind of counterintuitive since another goal is to post here, but I'm meaning less unproductive screen time. No more Netflix binge days for me.
19. Learn a new skill. Or maybe a couple of them.
20. Go hiking. And not just once.
21. Go to see live music more often. And try to fit in some theater/ballet as income allows for it.
22. Actively support causes I believe in.
23. Have a pen pal.
24. Watch more classic movies.

And there you have it. 24 goals before I turn 25. I don't yet know what I really want to talk about in this space. So I guess I'll just have to figure it out as we go along.