Back in January 2020, before the pandemic and the world changed, I wrote a list of 101 things I wanted to do in 1001 days. Instead of a never-ending bucket list, I have just under three years to complete my list. I check in on it every so often to make updates, but before writing this post I had last updated it a full year ago, in October 2020.
Even though I know I won’t complete everything on it I am so glad I made it. When I look back it’s truly incredible to see some of the things I’ve accomplished and some of the major lifestyle changes I’ve made since I wrote it.
Fitness
When I wrote this list I had a couple of fitness goals including running a fast 5K (#7) and a half marathon (#8), trying a new workout class and doing a month of strength training. Since January 2020 I’ve joined Equinox and love having a membership there. I’ve tried challenging new classes (#10) like barre, ropes and rowers, and even found a weekly yoga class that I love. I’ve gotten more comfortable using the weights (#18) and am training for my half marathon in January. I even took tennis lessons (#14)! I was never big into fitness and wrote about finding a routine for the first time back in April 2020. I’ve come even further since sharing that post and am truly so proud of my progress and how regular working out is in my routine now.
Adventures/Traveling
While I haven’t gotten to a new country yet, and may not before next October, I’ve gone on so many more trips around New York State than I could’ve imagined. Our family often set off to the Caribbean or Mexico every time we wanted to go on vacation so I wasn’t exactly raised to explore my state or take road trips. Max and I now love our annual Catskills trip and I went skiing for the first time (#77) up at Hunter Mountain. I’m also on track to mark three more items off the list when I go to Disney for my half marathon (#31) followed by my girls and I’s joint birthday trip to Miami (#27) and then I finally head to California for the first time with Max (#20, #21, #24). My travel plans haven’t been what I would’ve guessed they’d be but they’ve been interesting and fulfilling in new and different ways.
Creative Endeavors
I can’t believe making a TikTok, as in making a single video, was on this list in 2020 (#97). Two months later I downloaded the app and have since made far too many videos that probably never needed to see the light of day. I still haven’t made a YouTube-style vlog (#98) but I love making mini ones on weekends and trips and posting them to TikTok and Reels. Most significantly though, I really have improved my photography skills (#95). I’ve taken so many of my recent Instagram photos by myself and have gotten much more comfortable behind the camera. So much so that I’ve since ventured further into photography and am experimenting with film! I can’t wait to see where I could be with that in another 2-3 years.
Environmental Awareness
My goals also included a more eco-friendly beauty routine, less shopping, and fewer plastic water bottles. I feel like reusable goods are so much more ingrained in my life now than I would’ve imagined. I truly never buy water bottles (although I do indulge in cans of Spindrift) (#62), I’m constantly carrying reusable tote bags, I regularly use Makeup Erasers and reusable cotton rounds (#63), I’ve switched out some of my makeup for clean beauty products, and have made massive efforts towards keeping plastic and toxins out of my apartment. It’s hard to believe that what is so second nature to me now was once a goal I set for myself.
Healthy Habits & Hobbies
As a kid, I was always on the go. I was a member of a million different clubs and organizations and loved always having somewhere to be. I maintained some of that energy through college but not all of it. Over the past two years, I’ve begun to rediscover and fall in love with hobbies. Some of them are clearly beneficial to my mental and physical well-being, like cooking at home more (#40, #41, #42), meditating (I’m on a 600-day streak!) (#5, #6) and reading regularly (#1) but there are smaller changes as well. I’m sure this is because of the pandemic but I LOVE going to the movies now (#80). I was so excited to see Black Widow and Shang-Chi in theaters this summer and even got an AMC Membership because of all the movies I want to see this holiday season. I remember spending every weekend in middle school at the movie theater, seeing everything that came out that wasn’t rated R and it’s been fun to get back into movies and spend some time watching a big screen with other people instead of constantly being attached to my little screen.
What’s Left
It’s so hard to see the big picture when you’re living each day as it comes. I’m so grateful that I made this list because I am so proud of myself looking back on it. Even though it sometimes feels like I haven’t changed at all I can look back on this and see all the ways I am continuing to grow and change. I feel invigorated to take on the rest of the list and especially want to focus on volunteering, giving myself more time offline, and writing more. I know that no matter how far into the list I get I’ll want to start a new one when time is up.
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