A few years ago I made a list of 25 things I wanted to do before I turned 25 (when 25 still seemed off in the distant future). It’s now less than 25 days out from this birthday milestone and I thought I would share my list, reflections, and some post-25 goals with you!
25 THINGS TO DO BEFORE I’M 25:
Get married√ (May 14, 2016!)- Travel to South America
Go on a missions trip√Run a race for charity√- Get a dog (Not yet but y’all know this is coming)
Do something that scares me√ (Rob, I still cannot believe you convinced me to get on that rollercoaster)- Visit all the Canadian provinces (So close to crossing this one off! At the end of 2017 I will only have one province left: Saskatchewan)
- Do a yoga headstand (Trying and failing. I have weak arms people.)
Go on a road trip√- Sing at a bar
- Relearn piano
Volunteer somewhere for a year√Launch a website√ (Voila)- Read 100 books (This was perhaps my most unrealistic goal of them all haha!)
Establish a solid group of Christian girlfriends√ (Yassssss)- Run 5k
- Do a whole 30 challenge
- Do a solo prayer retreat weekend
- Learn a new language (Half completed? I can order both wine and ice cream in Italian/French/Spanish.)
- Perfect a signature recipe (I can cook but don’t have a classic “Ashley” dish yet. I’d prefer to perfect homemade bread or a great go-to dessert! Any taste-testers?)
Travel for work√See a Shakespearian play√ (MacBeth in Stratford!)Visit one of the 7 Wonders of the World√Go snorkelling or scuba diving√ (Snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef is one of my top 10 life highlights!)- Start a new hobby
So I have successfully managed to cross off about 50% of the things on my list. Thoughts? My younger self clearly thought I would be healthier and more disciplined than I actually am, but I’ve had some amazing experiences since I first wrote this list. To be honest, I mostly forgot all about it, and the things that I’ve crossed off are almost all by chance and not by intention. The point of this list wasn’t to check-off my way to happiness or adulthood, but to push myself to try new things and make memories. Although I’m not ready to make a “30 Things Before 30” list (ah! 30?!), I do want to continue to learn and love in big ways.
Here’s to the next 25! 🍻
Ashley Stromenberg 