Woah.
Weird things happen when you procrastinate.
If you would have told January-Ana that I would be holed up in my home in April, socially-distancing from others during a global pandemic, well, to be honest, I probably would have taken that February flight to Montgomery in preparation for my self-quarantining.
I actually have no idea what January-Ana would have thought about this, but current-me is attempting to fill herself with resolve. I have a lot of thoughts about current events, and am planning on writing a post specifically about it in the near future, so for now, I’ll leave you with this wish: I hope you are all doing well, and staying healthy in every sense during these unprecedented times. If you’re not, please reach out to someone close to you, and know that your feelings are very valid. We’re all in this together.
It’s been three months since I turned 25 and “completed” my 25 Things list. I put that in quotes because while I’ve surpassed my self-imposed deadline of completing my list by the time I turned 25, I accomplished 21/26 items on my list, which isn’t quite “complete,” yet here we are.
The past two years have been so far beyond what I imagined my life would be – some for the better, some for the worse. There have been a lot of moments and experiences that have been a remarkable bright spot in my life that I would have never experienced without this list.
My trip to the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta remains one of the most magical experiences of my entire life, and I often think back on it when needing a little douse of sunshine in my life.
Sunny California is always on my mind, whether it be my trip to Disneyland, or my birthday adventures in San Francisco.
I often think back on my ability to fiercely garner up pure, concentrated determination within me when I attempted to surf in Pacific Beach.
That is a very determined face, right there.
And Minnesota’s State Parks. Oh, Minnesota’s State Parks.
So beautiful.
I can’t even tell you how proud I am of my tiny little wooden plaque, declaring that I’ve been to each and every State Park in Minnesota. See below for my plaque and proud grin.
What an amazing set of hikes and experiences – I have so much love for this State, and it has only multiplied with my travels across it. I want to travel around it again and again.
And there have been the less-bright experiences along the way, too. Misadventures galore – traveling six hours North only to realize I couldn’t exactly Yes Theory my way to Garden Island State Park. Take two. Challenges in my personal life and career that burned me out and left me feeling pretty uninterested in the things that I’ve always been most passionate about. Dropping into a state of being that left me drained and uninspired. Many anxiety attacks in-between adventures. Plenty of self-doubt along the way.
My Everest trip still burns within me. The impact of that trip falling apart was far and wide, and that dream of standing at Base Camp is still the one that tops the list. One day, I will go. That is a dream that I will not be table-ing for later.
And that was really the goal of this list. To not “table” life for later. To not put things on a “bucket list” and promise myself to accomplish them later in life. I want to live as fully as possible – I want to take advantage of the time I’m blessed with, and not fill it with promises for another day. We don’t always get another day. Sometimes we’re quarantined in our homes during a pandemic for months! You have to take advantage of the time you have when you have it.
I thought when I started this whole thing that I would be pretty devastated and very critical of myself if I didn’t complete all of my goals. I was very determined, as I always am, that I would accomplish each goal. Thankfully, I feel very at peace with my list’s status of completion. I’ve accomplished quite a lot during the last 2.5 years, and am so grateful for the experiences I’ve had, and the people who have been with me along the way.
Starting this list has been one of the best decisions of my life – if I could go back and choose to do it again, I would choose it again and again. It has re-routed and shaped the path of my life in insanely significant ways – it’s changed my relationships with the people in my life, giving me opportunities to spend more time with them, and showing me the people who care most about me. It’s shown me how capable I am to push through when the going gets tough. It’s shown me just how far my spontaneous and adventurous nature extends. It’s shown me how to indulge in those things I love most – exploring and creating.
Yeah, if I could do it all over again, I would.
As far as the last, uncompleted items on my list go, I still very much intend to accomplish them, and am hoping to have them checked off within the next year.
You may be wondering what I plan to do next?
Well, COVID-19 has changed most of my plans. It may be strange to say for the better, given the traumatic impact of the pandemic, but I’m trying to see this new re-routing of my life due to COVID-19 as an opportunity. For now, I’m bunkering down and paying off my student loans! When this is all over, I hope to have nearly paid off my student loans, which will leave me incredibly free. I’ve been in a pretty bad headspace, which is why I’m so late in writing this and returning to this blog, so I’m hopeful that this time will also allow/force me to slow down and give myself a little more grace. To learn what self-care really means, and to treat myself with a little more kindness. I’m hoping to utilize this time to focus on the things I really enjoy. I’m also using this time to get back into my workout routine and start training again, because the way I see it, Everest will always be just around the corner.
I’m hoping to grow as a leader. To revive as a writer. To flourish despite my flaws and fears.
I’m hoping.
I hope that some part of this has been encouraging to you to continue chasing after those lofty goals, bucket list items, or lifelong passions you’ve always had. I hope you decide not to “table” any part of your life for later, and I hope you unapologetically throw yourself into what is most important to you in life. I hope your Everest is always just around the corner for you, too.
If you choose to create your own list of goals, I would love to hear about them! Or if you have one main focus, drop it in the comments below. I want to know what you’re looking forward to and working toward in the coming years.
Let’s keep adventuring together. There’s always more beyond the horizon.
So proud of you, my friend!