This Is What I Want To Experience In 2018

I had to give this some thought.

It’s easy to get swept up in the hoopla around a new year – people are motivated, dreaming big, determined to change their lives, declaring who they want to be in the upcoming year – it’s an exciting time!

But I needed to pause. Take a step back. Think about what I really want.

And what I want it is to keep trying new things. I love variety. I love new experiences. I crave that stuff. I hit a rut for a while last year in a relationship that had become routine. Still loving, but my intense need to push the envelope and and keep being challenged was feeling stifled. I even went to the extent of making a big long list of all the different things I’d love to try and do by the end of the summer and shared it with him – only to have none of it come to fruition.

So that led me to think about what kinds of experiences I’ve always wanted to try but haven’t. Big things and little things. What did I most want to try?

Here’s my list, and my ‘why’ for each one.

1 – Take a woodworking class. I’ve said this for years now, and even said that I’d wait I until retirement to do this. I found a class I was going to pull the trigger on, but didn’t like what we’d be making (a cabinet), so I’m perusing more options to make a table or something I can actually use in my apartment.

I grew up with a great grandfather that was incredibly gifted at making absolutely anything, and we’re lucky as a family to have so many of his creations. To this day the smell of freshly cut wood is still really relaxing to me, and I am looking forward to learning how to build something myself!

2 – Take a dance class. I’ll admit, for some reason it does feel a little embarrassing to admit this. But I’m putting it out there anyway. I’ve always thought it would be fun, and there are actually a lot of different options around Madison for these classes. Whether I do ballroom or something else, I’m not sure, but I really want to follow this curiosity of mine.

I’m a hot yoga regular and my favorite part of my flow classes is the beauty in the transitions – I was talking to a friend the other day about how much I love that, and how it feels like dancing to me. I want more of that in my life!

3 – Spur of the moment road trip. I am one to take my time pretty seriously. A few weeks ago a guy wanted to schedule a date with me, and I said that I could get together two weeks from that next Tuesday. Umm… that’s kind of ridiculous.

Spontaneity can lead to some of the best memories, and I want to make room for that.

4 – Participate in an adventure race. This has piqued my interest for quite some time, and was on my list of things I wanted to do in my last relationship… that never happened. The idea of combining different disciplines like biking, running, and orienteering sounds like a really fun challenge, and a way to meet a different cross section of athletes.

5 – Get a facial peel. I’m not talking about the crazy peeling like a snake for 5 days kind of peel, I’m just talking the intro level, see what this is about kind of peel. 2017 had ups and downs, and it largely kicked me in the ass emotionally and made me feel like I aged 5+ years. Now that I’m on the other side of all that and feeling awesome, I want to look the way I feel.

I have some friends that already do this, and the interesting thing to me is that women don’t seem to talk about this unless they’re asked. Which is why I of course want to just put it out there as I’m sure I’m not the only woman who is curious about this. AND I already have it scheduled! January 23rd is the day.

6 – In the same vein as #5, I want to get a professional makeup lesson. I went to Merle Norman with my mom once when I was a teenager, but in general, I have no clue what the hell I’m doing in that department.

I’m not trying to slather on a bunch of contouring stuff and paint myself into looking like a different person, but I’d just like to know how to do it right. I even just bought concealer for the first time in my life a few weeks ago! There’s a place in Madison that does this (that isn’t in a mall, thank God) so I’m pulling the trigger on this one in February.

7 – Go to a retreat – yoga, writing or art related. I’ve always thought it would be amazing to do a real retreat of some kind. Immerse myself in something I love or am curious about, meet like minded people, and be off the grid for a week or so. There are quite a few options for this that don’t require jetting off to Mexico and spending thousands of dollars so I’m optimistic that I can accomplish this in 2018 and not break my budget at all. Of all the things on my list, this is probably the one I want to experience most.

I will keep posing about this throughout the year for two reasons.

1 – It will hold me accountable to keep working towards these experiences.

2 – Maybe, just maybe it will inspire someone else to think about what they really want to experience this year and they will go out and make it happen too.

So that’s my list. Not a catchy 12 to have one each month, but a meaningful 7. A well thought out 7.