day 6 – list

Growing up we’re taught about how difficult it is to be a teenager, how much transition happens as one grows into an “adult”.  Back then it was made to seem that while the teens are super tough, the 20s would be easy - graduate from college, start a great career, buy a house, piece of cake.  Not so much anymore.  Oh, things they are a changing.  Graduating from college doesn’t mean shit anymore.  Who the hell has it all figured out by the time they turn 22?  Job opportunities aren’t what they used to be, people are graduating with 10x’s more debt than they used to - things are far from easy.  Being in your 20s, as far as I can tell, is the hardest decade.  Full of a lot of uncertainty, one challenge after another, a lot of proving yourself to people you could care less about impressing, a lot of hard work and very little reward.  It is the foundation period for setting up a better life, or so I’m told.  It is a lot of hurry up and wait, it’s confusing as fuck, super frustrating, mildly fun and filled with a lot of learning about yourself, then forgetting everything you thought you knew and learning it all over again. The 20s are a scary time.

Today is the last day of the Hollander-Rosen family vaca 2012.  Sad to see my family go, sad to leave this beautiful place, not looking forward to returning to the to do list(s), to real life.  Hanging out with my fam this morning we got to chatting about turning 30 – how fast time flies, what it feels like to be “almost there”, etc.  My mom asked me about my 20s. My response: “the 20s are lame.  They suck and I am looking forward to turning 30.”  My mom reminded me that the 20s were filled with lessons and tons of accomplishments.  She started to list them and I was reminded of just how much has happened in the last 10 years, in my lifetime. I find it very easy to discredit all of the work I have done, to create lists of all that I want to do, buy, accomplish etc., to future trip.  So today I decided that instead of writing the 30 things I want to do before I’m 30 list I was planning, I am going to list 30 things I have accomplished before 30.  Better to reflect and be grateful, than to drive myself even more nuts.

1. graduated from MSU
2. completed Masters thesis titled: Defying Defiance: The Experience of Transitioning from and Oppositionally-Defiant Adolescence to a Meaningful and Passion-filled Adulthood
3. received MA in Clinical Humanistic Psychology, became a licensed psychologist and certified advanced alcohol and drug counselor
4. traveled to: Paris, Israel, Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize, all over Canada, about 25/50 states, went on 5 Caribbean cruises
5. jumped out of an airplane
6. bungee jumped
7. learned to wakeboard and snowboard and then did both of them lots
8. backpacked through the west, northwestern Canada and Alaska
9. completed two 200 hour yoga teacher trainings, 1 Yoga Therapy certification, currently working on my 300 hour teacher training certification
10. road tripped across the country – moving my whole life from MI to LA
11. got married to my high school sweetheart
12. became a dog mommy
13. stayed up all night long dancing with friends
14. studied Kabbalah, Buddhism, Yoga, Vedanta, 12 steps, Humanistic and Positive Psychology, and many other things I am sure I am missing.  I LOVE learning.
15.  made the most amazing friends in the world – diamonds are forever - you know who you are <3
16. apologized to those I have wronged (if you’re reading this and thinking to yourself, no bitch you haven’t – please don’t be shy, out with it!)
17. got tattooed/pierced my belly-button
18. stood up for things I believe in – if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.
19. became a high school teacher
20. taught well over 1,000 yoga classes
21. started my own company – One Down Dog, LLC
22. rock climbed and summated mountains
23. chopped off all my hair, dyed it lots of fun colors
24. voted for 3 presidents
25. drove up and down the coast of Cali, hiked in the mountains, hung by the ocean, ate yummy food with family and friends:)
26. swam with sharks, sting rays and lots of fishies in the ocean
27. hiked through a cave and jumped from a waterfall inside it
28. led 80s yoga dance parties
29. been to well over 100 concerts/music festivals including the first ever DEMF (Detroit Electronic Music Festival)
30. started a BLOG!!!

Whoomp there it is!  I am sure that after posting this I will want to add/change this list.  Maybe I will make 30 lists... oy vey.