a year’s reflection

Last Sunday, on September 22nd, I turned 22 (wooo! golden birthday). Last year, when I turned 21, I wrote a post about 21 of the most important things I'd learned over the span of that year. This year I thought I'd do something a little different. I'm going to reflect on the biggest things I've accomplished and been blessed enough to experience over the past year. Then I'm gonna make a list of 23 things I hope to do by the time I'm 23.  

This year I have... 

1) Fallen in love... and fallen out of love. I'm not even going to try to sum this up into a few sentences... Perhaps it's worthy of another post down the line.  

2) Graduated from college. Not something I thought I'd ever do. If you told 17-year-old me I was going to graduate from college at all, let alone in three years, I definitely would've laughed in your face. Proud of myself for making it this far, but I've still got a long way to go. 

3) Made some friends and lost some too. Some hurt more than others. But all in all, I suppose there are really no regrets because everything and everyone happens for a reason. Everyone walks into your life for a reason, and they leave for a reason too. Maybe to help you grow, maybe to help you realize who you are, or maybe to help you understand just how much better you deserve. I learned A LOT about toxic friendships this year - being both a victim and a perpetrator... I am recognizing my flaws and there is only growth from here on out. 

4) Gone to South Africa. Hands down the best experience of my life. No regrets there, I had the time of my life and learned so much about the world and myself. Check out my blog post if you care to know more about that wild experience :)

5) Gotten my nose pierced... and then took it out. I feel like it really matched my vibe and now I really miss it, so you might see me with my nose pierced again very soon. I'm not sorry.

6) Gone on a spring break trip to one of my favorite places. Going on a bestie trip to Universal Orlando was one of the best experiences of my life, and I intend to be back in Orlando very soon ;)  

7) Been to some pretty cool shows. Let's cross some of my favorites off my concert bucket list: Blink-182 and Neck Deep.I also got to see the Jonas Brothers ON my 22nd birthday - which is crazy because they were my first concert ever... we're really coming full circle here. 

8) Changed my hair many times.I've had several different color variations, cut it short a few times, and now I have bangs!!  

The list may not be very long. But all in all, these are some of the things that have absolutely made the last year amazing and have helped to shape me even more as a person. I am constantly evolving and I'm confident that I won't be the same person I am today, a year from now. And I'm happy knowing that. I hope I continue to grow and change and evolve. I don't want to stay the same person forever. I want to learn new things and grow from my mistakes and challenges. It's what makes us people.

To encourage more change, here's a list of 23 things I want to do by 23. Or, in other words, here's my bucket list for the next year.

1) Go on a spontaneous trip (or just one that I don't currently have planned)... This one might be difficult because I don't know how to save money, lol.

2) Get another tattoo. This will be easier than number one considering I have a stash of money that is only for tattoos... don't ask me why my life is the way it is.

3) Develop a better daily routine.

4) Read one book every month.

5) Meet new people and make new friends.

6) Take more time to write.

7) Take more photos, make more memories. 

8) Learn a new skill (I hope it's photoshop).

9) Spend more time doing art, even if it's bad. It will probably be bad.

10) Get out of my comfort zone and break more boundaries.

11) Keep reuniting with my long-distance BFF's. I get to see more of my pals in October!

12) Meditate more. Yes, more than I already do. 13) Memorize my tarot cards. Since I miss school so much, I decided studying would be fun.

14) Eat better.

15) Go to even more cool shows. Me? Go to more concerts? 

16) Learn something new every day.

17) Go on more spontaneous adventures.

18) Learn new ways to cope with some of my anxieties.

19) Get rid of my RBF and become more approachable. This one will probably be the most difficult thing on the list...

20) Spend more time with friends. Maybe I should make some too.

21) Do things that fulfill me.

22) Learn how to actually save money.

23) Be proud of myself for everything I've accomplished. 

I know people don't usually follow through on their resolutions or get to cross off a whole bunch of things from their bucket lists, but I'm definitely going to try to do these things for myself.