Ugh, When Did I Get Old?

I went to make the title of this "more things to do before I turn 25!" THEN I was going to title it "More Things to Do in the next..." Did the math and realized I have one year, three months until I turn 25. I almost had a meltdown...





... okay maybe I definitely had a meltdown. Didn't I just turn 22? Like, last month or something? I don't like this, not one bit, not even at all.


Anyways. Here are these, from here. (PS. If you're not already following Thought Catalog on everything, you really should be.) I went ahead and italicized the ones I have accomplished thus far.



1. Make peace with your parents. Whether you finally recognize that they actually have your best interests in mind or you forgive them for being flawed human beings, you can’t happily enter adulthood with that familial brand of resentment.
2. Kiss someone you think is out of your league; kiss models and med students and entrepreneurs with part-time lives in Dubai and don’t worry about if they’re going to call you afterward.
3. Minimize your passivity.
4. Work a service job to gain some understanding of how tipping works, how to keep your cool around assholes, how a few kind words can change someone’s day.
5. Recognize freedom as a 5:30 a.m. trip to the diner with a bunch of strangers you’ve just met.
6. Try not to beat yourself up over having obtained a ‘useless’ Bachelor’s Degree. Debt is hell, and things didn’t pan out quite like you expected, but you did get to go to college, and having a degree isn’t the worst thing in the world to have. We will figure this mess out, I think, probably; the point is you’re not worth less just because there hasn’t been an immediate pay off for going to school. Be patient, work with what you have, and remember that a lot of us are in this together.
7. If you’re employed in any capacity, open a savings account. You never know when you might be unemployed or in desperate need of getting away for a few days. Even $10 a week is $520 more a year than you would’ve had otherwise.
8. Make a habit of going outside, enjoying the light, relearning your friends, forgetting the internet.
9. Go on a 4-day, brunch-fueled bender.
10. Start a relationship with your crush by telling them that you want them. Directly. Like, look them in the face and say it to them. Say, I want you. I want to be with you.
11. Learn to say ‘no’ — to yourself. Don’t keep wearing high heels if you hate them; don’t keep smoking if you’re disgusted by the way you smell the morning after; stop wasting entire days on your couch if you’re going to complain about missing the sun.
12. Take time to revisit the places that made you who you are: the apartment you grew up in, your middle school, your hometown. These places may or may not be here forever; you definitely won’t be.
13. Find a hobby that makes being alone feel lovely and empowering and like something to look forward to.
14. Think you know yourself until you meet someone better than you.
15. Forget who you are, what your priorities are, and how a person should be.
16. Identify your fears and instead of letting them dictate your every move, find and talk to people who have overcome them. Don’t settle for experiencing .000002% of what the world has to offer because you’re afraid of getting on a plane.
17. Make a habit of cleaning up and letting go. Just because it fit at one point doesn’t mean you need to keep it forever — whether ‘it’ is your favorite pair of pants or your ex.
18. Stop hating yourself.
19. Go out and watch that movie, read that book, listen to that band you already lied about watching, reading, listening to.
20. Take advantage of health insurance while you have it.
21. Make a habit of telling people how you feel, whether it means writing a gushing fan-girl email to someone whose work you love or telling your boss why you deserve a raise.
22. Date someone who says, “I love you” first.
23. Leave the country under the premise of “finding yourself.” This will be unsuccessful. Places do not change people. Instead, do a lot of solo drinking, read a lot of books, have sex in dirty hostels, and come home when you start to miss it.
24. Suck it up and buy a Macbook Pro.
25. Quit that job that’s making you miserable, end the relationship that makes you act like a lunatic, lose the friend whose sole purpose in life is making you feel like you’re perpetually on the verge of vomiting. You’re young, you’re resilient, there are other jobs and relationships and friends if you’re patient and open.



Read more at http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/25-things-to-do-before-you-turn-25/#OJKHUWdSS40W6luj.99 

Wanna Know a Secret?

So, this is something I haven't really told anyone. I have told those really close to me, but I didn't really think it was something that needed to be broadcast. Apparently, others had a different idea - so I thought I'd work my stress out here.





I'm moving back home in a month. That's right, the end of November. 

I still have vacation days, like plenty that I was saving for Christmas, so maybe I'll leave earlier. I'm currently in the running for the Atlanta Braves Community Affairs trainee position. Which is my absolute dream. I find out this week if I've made it to the next round of interviews, and I'm doing everything I can think of to keep from stressing about it. I told everyone I needed to tell how my interview went immediately after so that I didn't keep replaying it in my head.

Before you ask, I made sure to stay away from 'dream job' and instead discussed how it was my goal  and what I had been working towards.

The toughest question was "why do you want to give up a full time position for what is essentially an internship?" I wanted to explain that it was a gut feeling, that I know it's what I want. Instead I explained that it was, in fact, a step forward.

Y'all. I know this is where I'm supposed to be. My heart is forever in the Peach State, and all of the other cheesy ways I could possibly say that there's nowhere else I'd rather be. The important people in my life support this decision, and I could not appreciate it more.

I am so blessed by the people I have in my life, I don't know where I would be without their support.

What's [p]Inspiring Me Lately

I know. I'm the worst. Here you go:





Actually. I think I'm just going to elaborate on this one, how's that for something new?

Today a nice gentleman gave me a free drink with my lunch because I had such a big smile on my face for a Monday. I didn't even realize that I was smiling (which should come at no surprise to anyone who has been around me when I'm hungry - ha). He told me it brightened his day. He's not the first person to say that to me lately - and it generally makes me smile a little bigger.

I've had a lot going on - and I thought it was bringing me down - but hearing someone I've never met say something along the lines of "you brightened my day today" or "I wish I could be that happy" really makes all the difference. Once I realized that taking the positive of each day & focusing on that could change the entire course of the day - I latched onto it. I've been working on that since, and I don't plan on stopping.

Today, for example, started off with a phone call that put me in a good mood. I was then productive with the rest of my morning until now regardless of the snares and setbacks I've run into just today. Regardless of the negative energy in this small work space, regardless of anyone being rude or cutting me off on the way to work, today is a good day.

So, everyone, smile at a stranger today! You'll never know the impact that small act has on someone else's day.