2017 IN THE REARVIEW

I've never—until now—been able to say that I've accomplished everything that I wanted to accomplish within a year. Last year, my resolution was to do more things that scare me. On a small scale, I did this. For 2017, my resolution was to do even more things that scare me. So I made a list of things to do, and the other day, I finally checked off the one thing that remained (which was ironically the first thing on the list). 

The year began miserably. I had been laid off from my full time job (which I actually hated so it was a blessing in disguise) and dumped by my boyfriend (whom I loved very much but that also might have been a blessing in disguise). But then good things started happening. 

I don't believe in "The Law of Attraction" or "The Secret" -- I believe in DOING THINGS. That's how you get what you want. Instead of saying affirmations in the mirror, I threw myself into situations where I was uncomfortable, because I knew that as someone with anxiety, this would be the only way I would grow. I was right.

And that is how I became somebody who I always wanted to be but never thought I could be as someone with ~*~mental illness~*~. I always said I was scared of everything. And I always thought that depression and anxiety would hold me back from everything. This year was certainly not free from depression or anxiety at all, but for once, I didn't let mental illness dictate my life.

Here are some things I accomplished by JUST DOING THINGS, NO MATTER HOW SCARY.

 INTERVIEWED CHRIS CARRABBA OF DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL AND WAS PUBLISHED IN NYLON
SNORKLED IN MEXICO
JUMPED OFF A HIGH ROCK INTO A CENOTE 
SAW 1 OF THE WONDERS OF THE WORLD (CHICHEN ITZA)
WENT TO MIAMI ALONE
HAD MY FIRST PIECE PUBLISHED IN PRINT -- IN BILLBOARD MAGAZINE!! 
EXPLORED SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
WENT TO MY FIRST WARPED TOUR
BOUGHT A ONE WAY PLANE TICKET TO EUROPE AND HAD NO IDEA WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO
STAYED IN A LOT OF HOSTELS
MADE FRIENDS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
GOT A TATTOO IN LONDON
MET FAMILY I'D NEVER MET BEFORE IN ENGLAND
HAD HIGH TEA
BASICALLY FELL IN LOVE WITH A CAMDEN BARTENDER
ATE MACAROONS IN PARIS
LEFT MY PHONE NUMBER ON A NAPKIN FOR A WAITER IN PARIS
DRANK WINE UNDER THE SPARKLING EIFFEL TOWER
SWAM IN THE MEDITTERANEAN SEA
SAW THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES IN ITALY
ATE PIZZA AND PASTA IN ITALY
MADE A WISH IN THE TREVI FOUNTAIN
TOOK A BOAT TO CAPRI
TANNED AND SWAM NAKED IN BARCELONA
TRIED TO SPEAK SPANISH TO LOCALS IN SPAIN
TOOK A ROAD TRIP ACROSS THE UNITED STATES
INTERVIEWED BERT MCCRACKEN OF THE USED, WAS PUBLISHED IN ALT PRESS
 FLEW 11 HOURS TO HAWAII ALONE
GOT REAL ABOUT MEDS AND DEPRESSION AND WAS PUBLISHED IN REFINERY 29
SWAM FURTHER OUT FROM SHORE THAN I EVER HAVE WHILE SNORKELING
HIKED TO THE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN (MULTIPLE TIMES)
STAND UP PADDLE BOARDED IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN

LOTS OF OTHER THINGS PROBABLY BUT THESE ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS. 
AND I DON'T KNOW HOW I AM GOING TO TOP THIS IN 2018










PHOTOS BY ROON

1 comment:

  1. Sounds like you had an awesome year! I'm tired of people talking about how 2017 sucked. I love 2017. What a best of fresh air this article is.

    ReplyDelete

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