I’m 25 in less than a week.
Even though I find age to be nothing more than a number, the big two-five holds some significance for me. After seeing me survive anaphylactic shock, turn blue from severe asthma attacks, bounce back from a heart attack, fight off H1N1 and evade a close call with throat cancer, my friends decided that if I somehow make it past 25, I’ll probably live forever.
As I near immortality (because I’m sure my sources are correct on their theory), it’s time to sit down and do some planning.
Many bloggers nearing their 25th birthday do a list of “25 things to do before turning 25” that can certainly offer some inspiration to their readers. Unfortunately, most of the list items are bullshit like “start being nicer to your parents” (I’m looking at you, Thought Catalog) that should not be on a list in the first place, because I don’t believe acting less like a dick should be a goal, but rather a constant action. (Seriously, just be better. It’s not hard.)
Anyway, my good friend Kate brought up this idea a few weeks ago, but since I have about five days to make a list, I’d say the “25 before 25” boat has sailed. So, instead, I created a list of 25 things I want to do in my 25th year: The 25 To-Do. Each item is a tangible goal that can be accomplished within a year with some dedication.
I hope you enjoy the ideas below and consider trying something new in your next year of life; you never know when that last year will be, so make ‘em count.
Cameron’s 25 To Do
1. Learn how to tie a bowtie
When it comes to a normal tie, I’m an expert. When it comes to a bowtie, however, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
2. Go to a music festival
Thanks to some good timing, a friend with an extra ticket and no regard for my savings account, I’m looking at my Telluride Bluegrass Festival ticket as I write this. Perfect. I’m mere weeks away from seeing Mumford & Sons as well as Trampled by Turtles live. Life’s good.
3. Run a 5k
Really? Three miles? OK, it’s nothing special, but I’m using my asthma for an excuse. I also believe in using runs like this to benefit others, which is why I picked the PurpleStride on June 23—a run that benefits those who have prostate cancer.
4. Create a Mason jar project
I live for Pinterest and work blocks away from the Ball Corporation in Broomfield, so these glass containers are constantly teasing me. Let it be with a cool light bulb, a broken glow stick or a plant, it’s time to find my inner hipster and put some Mason jars to work.
5. Yoga
I’m double-jointed and often in need of calming techniques. I’m pretty sure I was born to do yoga.
6. Read ‘Atlas Shrugged’
I like to think I’m well-read, and this is a pivotal novel to have under one’s belt to claim that title. Coming in at over 1,000 pages, this one takes some time. My friend Matt loaned it to me a year ago and I’m tired of it sitting on my desk (and he probably wants his book back), so it’s time to finally tackle this task.
7. Learn how to properly bartend
By the time you hit your mid-twenties, just pouring vodka into a plastic cup and calling it a good time is no longer acceptable. It’s time to learn how to make proper drinks that look as good as they taste. Thanks to Groupon, I have an 80-hour certification course on my plate in July.
8. Bike to work once a week
I hope to do more, but at 20 miles a day, I feel it’s fair to start my goal low, and so far, so good.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
9. Do something out of routine once a week
It’s easy to get caught up in schedules and goals and forget what is around us. So once a week, I will do something I normally wouldn’t do, even if it has no benefit, purpose or underlying usefulness. Let it be cloud watching, a new, out-of-the-way route home or a hole in the wall restaurant, I want to see what this world has to offer that I would otherwise completely skip over.
10. Become proficient at driving a manual
I call myself a car-nut, but I’ve owned an automatic for 10 years. While I have driven manuals before, never owning one makes it difficult to become good at it. No more excuses: It’s time to make a manual feel like second nature.
11. Skydive
It’s just a matter of time until I find a Groupon to cover this one. Comment below if you want to join.
12. Rebuild my LEGO blog
Pun intended. Kidding (and my age) aside, LEGO products make for great online content, and used to be one of my specialties that got kicked to the side for other lofty projects. It’s time to bring it back.
13. Start (and maintain) an offline journal
Because not everything needs to be on the web, I’m told. That and I’m forgetting how to actually write things since I only type.
14. Build a summer garden
I like playing in the dirt and I have a yard. No brainer!
15. Make a GIF
All the cool kids are doing it, and it could become a big deal on tumblr.
16. Drive a car with more horsepower than days in a year
It seems delightfully poetic to take the idea of how long I have to complete this list and apply it with my right foot to the pavement. While anything with 365 horsepower qualifies, I prefer something European.
17. Marry someone
This may seem like a lofty goal considering I’m single, but when I say, “marry someone,” I don’t mean marry to myself. I’m an officiant.
18. Build an Etsy Store
I’m creative and I like to make things, so I may as well share them with the world (and hopefully make some money) to see where my creativity takes me.
19. Reach the summit
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
While my list of bagged fourteeners may have crossed into the double digits, there is one that still intimidates me more than the rest: Pikes Peak. With a roundtrip distance clocking in at 26 miles, Pikes has been taunting me since I’ve started these peaks. It’s on my calendar for September.
20. Write a book
It’s a long story (See what I did there?), but I’ve been working on a book since 2011. It’s time to stop talking about working on it and actually work on it. It doesn’t have to be published before I’m 26, but I’d like to be past the prologue.
21. Volunteer at a school
Children are extraordinarily humbling and offer a lot of perspective to life. Conveniently, I’m related to an adorable one who needs more volunteers at his school. To keep this tangible, I want to volunteer five times in the next school year, minimum.
22. Finish the Mass Effect Trilogy
Somehow I’m the only nerd I know who hasn’t played all three of these games. I even own two of them and haven’t touched them.
23. Cook a meal for a group
I hate cooking more than just about anything. Unfortunately, this hated is not really sustainable long-term, so it’s time to start learning to like it. Even though I am just fine eating a steak from a George Foreman grill with just a fork and calling it a meal, I want to take the time to cook (and maybe even season) a nice meal for people I care for. My lack of passion for food can be saved with my passion for giving others something they like.
24. Freelance for five
I’m fortunate enough to have a career that pays the bills, but freelance writing, editing and designing is where my passion is. I want to have five constant clients who come to me first for these needs. This goal will take a great deal of effort over the next year, due to requiring time to network, develop skills and do genuine work. It will be worth every minute.
25. Pay off my student debt
Hey, if I can pull off the other 24 items on this list, maybe miracles do exist and I can enter my 26th year without school loans.
So Colorado, what will you do with your next year of life?