Thirty days and a list of eighteen things

Alternate title: December to Remember (but this is not a sales event, contrary to what all the car commercials say).

Since I graduated from college four years ago, few aspects of my life have truly felt concrete. Adulthood has never carried a sense of permanence, and as a result, I’ve never truly been comfortable in my surroundings. For example, I’ve never fully invested myself in any apartment I’ve lived in and have purchased cookbooks that I’ve never cooked from. It’s as though I’ve been waiting for a signal that yes, this is all real, and yes, my life is my own to create.

So the putting-off and never-doing ends with this challenge, a 30-day bucket list inspired by my friend Rivers and many others who plan to take on this personal challenge. It begins today and ends December 31, at least for me.

You’ll notice that many items on the list below have to do with my apartment, which I hope to make feel like a home. I desire a cozy, happy place with details that are my own—a place that gives me a sense of purpose and permanence. For a long time I’ve neglected the little things that I know will bring me joy.

I can’t wait to start and to share my progress with you.

The list:

1. Take photos (difficult to quantify, but I want to be better about this)
2. Prepare one of the flagged (never-tried, but want-to-cook) recipes from my cookbooks each week
3. Paint an accent wall in my bedroom
4. Hang curtains in my living room
5. Acquire more indoor plants
6. Work out before work once a week
7. Cook the dried beans in my pantry
8. Take a trip somewhere by myself
9. Have friends over for dinner
10. Call a friend I haven’t spoken to in a long time
11. Make something homemade for Christmas for my friends
12. Frame my diploma from Tulane and hang it in my office
13. Buy flowers for myself to add warmth to my home
14. Stain and finish my chairs from Ikea
15. Get a new dining room table and stain it to match the chairs
16. Bake a loaf of bread
17. Go to mass every Sunday during Advent
18. Read a book from start to finish