A celebration of the end, but the start of something new!
I envisioned my teen years like those in the movies I watched growing up. Over the past six years, I’ve realized that although some parallels exist in my reality, the movie scenes were only a glimpse of the trials and triumphs of this incredible period of pain and growth. In two months, I leave this carefree yet angsty era and enter a new one called adulthood. I will turn 20, and with this moment inching closer and closer, I grow anxious yet excited for my future. I romanticized 20 my whole life – everyone says these are the best years of your life.
So yes, I want to cherish the next decade and make them the best years of my life, but I do not want my longing and anticipation to take away from the experiences I’ve already had. I love being a teen girl, and I love feeling that I am a part of a family of girls my age who may share the same feelings and experiences as me, whether it be through shared interests or shared moments, such as getting ready while listening to our playlists and sharing stories, having more fun together than at the event or party we go to later.
I want to honor these years of my life and complete a bucket list of 20 activities I want to do before I turn 20:
Honoring my Hometown City
I love visiting new places and creating itineraries for my next trip, yet I have never truly acknowledged the city I’ve lived in for the past 17 years of my life: Los Angeles. I am disappointed that I have never been a tourist in my own city, but now I am determined to be.
- Drive down Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and visit all the beaches in Los Angeles. LA beaches are truly amazing, with their beautiful views that have the ability to simply take your breath away everytime you see the coast again.
2. Hike to watch the sunrise from the Hollywood sign. A new dawn to symbolize a new era.
3. Recreate my own La La Land moment and see my beautiful city at night from the Griffith Observatory.
4. Eat at three new restaurants, one of them at a rooftop location and one of them with a new cuisine.
5. Attend a Lakers basketball game and/or a Dodgers baseball game.
Golden State Road Trip
Some of my best memories are in my car, taking road trips to various cities both in and out of California. Therefore, I want to:
6. Take a week or month long road trip of California with friends and stop at every major city along the way, trying a new activity or a new restaurant at each city, documenting our memories with a scrapbook.
Future Travel Plans
7. Plan a road trip for the future along the West Coast, up to Oregon and Washington.
8. Create a vision or Pinterest board for all the national and international cities I would like to visit in the next five years.
Future Goals
This is a critical time to truly ask myself what I want in my life and how I am going to get there.
9. Create a vision and Pinterest board for the next five years with my career and life goals.
10. Reflect on my current lifestyle. Categorize what I want to quit, what I want to start and what I want to continue. Cover all aspects of wellness, such as physical, emotional and social health.
Daily Reminders
11. I want to remember everything that makes me smile and the people who make me laugh. Record more videos, take more photos and create albums for special occasions.
12. Journal everyday—all the highlights, disappointments and joys.
Overcoming Fears
I’ve allowed my fears to control my decisions and actions in the past. Now, I must take a stand and become ready to step out of my comfort zone.
13. Don’t be afraid to spend time alone. Take myself to a coffee shop, a movie or anywhere, honestly!
14. Conquer my fear of failure and be open when trying new hobbies and experiences, even if the outcome is imperfect.
15. Do not let the fear of others’ judgement stop me.
Trying New Things; Say Yes!
It’s time to embrace my interests fully and dive into a rabbit hole of tutorials and advice to create my own wonderland of self-care.
16. The holidays are my favorite time of year. With Thanksgiving, I have the perfect opportunity to cook new pasta recipes and with Christmas, baking new types of cookies.
17. Get active and try a hot yoga, spin, pilates or kickboxing class. Participate in a triathlon, or … actually, maybe start with half-marathon.
18. Movie Marathon! It’s a hard choice between the Barbie collection, Harry Potter or all the best rom-coms. Maybe I’ll do them all!
19. Write a poem or short story. Channel any and all ideas through this outlet.
20. Start and finish a novel in one evening.
I hope my bucket list inspires you to cherish past hopes, present moments and future dreams!