Thoughts: Turning a Quarter of a Century & 101 Things to do in 1001 Days

Well, in case you didn’t know, today is my birthday. January 7th. I was born in 1987 (Late 80s-90’s baby! Best time frame ever!), in my hometown of Dayton. I always thought it was strange for me to have been born right after the New Year. A good week, in fact, after watching a ball drop. I can only imagine just how stressful/annoying that must have been for my mother.

Even being born in the winter was probably a problem. I mean, the Midwest is known for getting horrible snow around this time of year (although, it is currently a bit warm and sunny).

I’ve had plenty of cancelled parties because of snow, gotten double the amount of presents between Christmas and my birthday, and eaten a lot of cake. But that was during my childhood. A lot of candles have been blown out; plenty of kids have come and gone from gatherings, as well as gifts wrapped in colorful paper.

This year… well, it’s a bit different.

My 25th Birthday Cake

I am 25 years old.

Now, don’t think I’m going to have one of those “Turing a Quarter of a Century” crisis, where most 25 year olds realize they haven’t done anything extravagant and life-changing by now and think that life is pretty much going to suck from here on out and commence being terrified of growing up.

But, me? Well, my life has been very dynamic and drastic, but exciting and extraordinary. I refuse to put my background out fully (I mean, my first name, age, date and year of birth are enough).

I’ve had many journeys and adventures in my life. I’ve met a lot of wonderful and crazy people. I’ve done many different things that most people would say they have never even bothered to do. I’ve had plenty of battles to fight, some won and some lost. But I know for a fact that it doesn’t stop there. This, in my mind, is only the beginning. I can only imagine just how many more years will make my life even more unpredictable.

I’m looking forward to it.

And so, as I plan to enjoy my 25th year of being alive later this evening with some good friends, a few snacks and some alcohol, I’ll keep telling myself that it only gets better or worse from here on out.

Will I worry about the outcome? Hell no. That’s what makes it so worthwhile.

Instead of making a New Year’s Resolution list like everyone else does (only to end up failing because something happens or they get lazy), I found this interesting site called “Day Zero Project.” You have the ability to make a list of 101 things you would like to accomplish in 1001 days. Honestly, that time frame seems reasonable than 365 days of a year.

So, just to see if I can make the next few years even more interesting, I created a list. I won’t post it in full here. It’s just too long and I’m sure it will just take up too much space. Feel free to take a look at it on my profile page on the site.

Just to encourage myself to do it more, I’ve printed it out and posted it on my wall in my guest bedroom/study. I would like to complete at least 50 of these tasks within this year. If I can do that, then I’m sure I’ll have even more remarkable stories and memories to think about when I’m 30.

But, life is what you make of it. So, I’m going to try my best to make it as exhilarating as I can.