The 25 List

25 Before 25 >> Life In Limbo

Last year, I made a birthday list of 24 fun things I wanted to try before I turned 24. A few years earlier, I made a list of things to do before I turned 22 (I skipped 23 for some reason).

Why? Well, one of my values is to always be learning. I don’t ever want to stop growing or gaining new skills and experiences, but I have also observed how easy it is for me to get used to a routine and do the same things (and eat the same foods, and go to the same places) over and over again. So the birthday list is a gentle reminder to me to do something fun every once in a while, or to make time and space in my life to learn something new.

It’s not a to-do list and I don’t beat myself up for not “finishing” the list by my next birthday – that’s not the point. In fact, the first time I was 13/22, and last year I did 15/24, and some of those only partially. And that’s fine. Sometimes I realize that this year is not the year for it, and sometimes I realize that I don’t actually want to do that thing, so I just cross them off and move on. And sometimes I carry over items to a new list for the following year. It’s all good.

One thing I can tell you is that often, the things I set out to do from my list end up as some of the best memories for me. When I think back to the year I was 22, it is so full of awesome experiences and feels so rich: I made a dress! I rolled around in coloured paint! I talked about books with my friends! And the same goes for last year: some of my favourite memories are jumping around on that trampoline, having that sunset picnic, and writing an essay to honour my mom.

So, even though it’s long past my April birthday I still want to document this year’s list. Some of the things I came up with before my birthday and others I’ve only added recently (somehow my original list got lost along the way) but again, it’s all good.

  1. Do a 10-day juice cleanse
  2. Teach a yoga class full of strangers
  3. Raise $250+ for Charity: Water (help me out with $5 right here!!)
  4. Try aerial yoga
  5. Give a talk
  6. Attend a conference
  7. Record a song I wrote
  8. Learn how to do beautiful lettering
  9. Start a group or event
  10. Take a road trip
  11. Do 4 DIY projects
  12. Bake 4 new kinds of bread
  13. Host a vegan potluck
  14. Try out a capsule wardrobe for a season
  15. Learn how to speak fluent Spanish
  16. Learn how to drive manual
  17. Give up refined sugar for a month
  18. Join a group
  19. Take 25 courses or workshops
  20. Try paragliding
  21. Order room service
  22. Live zero-waste for a month
  23. Learn how to surf
  24. Make my own jam, nut milk, peanut butter, and juice
  25. Write a book or course