30.
Over the course of the past year or so, I made the conscious decision to no longer live the life I once did. Instead, I wanted to live a life where I challenged myself and got out of my comfort zone. The goal of the game was to say “Yes” to adventures that came my way, particularly, when I wanted to say “No”. At first, it was not an easy task. Rather it was quite daunting at times. The more I worked at it, the better I became because of it. As Marie Forleo’s saying goes, “Don’t let the fear of the unknown keep you from taking bold steps toward your goals. The greatest opportunities lie on the other side of fear”.
I took it step-by-baby-step towards accomplishing goals on my so-called “bucket list”. As I was as trudging along I tried to remind myself that the Roman Empire was not built in a day which meant that I did not have to achieve everything on the first day or the first try. Instead, I worked my way up taking it one day at a time. Here are the results of my journey that changed me, challenged me, or inspired me.
1) First is a list of the following foods I tried for the first time:
Homemade Banana Bread
Sushiza-Box
Conch
Variety of dried fruit including: Kiwi, Apricot, Mango
Cheeseburger Quesadillas
Plum Wine
Iced Snickerdoodle Latte (Ludlow Charlington’s)
Ham and Cheese Cachtio (Klein’s)
Iced White Vanilla Pistachio Latter (Klein’s)
Iced Berry Cobbler Latte (Ludlow Charlington’s)
Smoked Vanilla Mocha (Collectivo)
Wyman’s Fruit Cup
Sugarfina’s Advent Calendar
2) Then, there are the new restaurants I tried:
Via Roma
Tanuki’s Sushi
CM Chicken
Amorino Gelato
Velvet Taco
Sumo Sushi & Hibachi Grill
Peking Chinese Restaurant
Coalfire
Kala Modern Greek
Sweetgreen
shawarma and Grill
Maison Marcel
The Jalepeno Grille
The Pasta Bowl
House of Hunan
The Clark Street Dog
Plenty Chinese Restaurant
Crisp
Ranalli’s Pizza
Burrito Beach
As for experiences, here are some firsts:
3) After my previous nail technician moved out of state, I was on the lookout for a new gal. And I found one. Her Instagram is @nail_studio_by_olive. Previously, I have only done acrylic nails. But when I saw that she did a Russian manicure, I wanted to give the trend a try, as I have heard a lot of positive reviews. So, I did. I am glad I tried it. It was a positive experience. My cuticles were all cleaned up and my nails came out exactly as I wanted. Per Glamor, the difference with a Russian manicure is that it, “Emphasizes complete cuticle removal, careful and precise removal of previous gel and polish, and intricate attention to a pristine polish application”.
4) When I got the Russian manicure, I also got gel nails done for the first time. This is the result:
5) Application of highlighter. I have always been a basic makeup girlie or a no makeup girl. Recently, I have been interested in learning more. So, I went to Sephora and had them show me the best way to apply highlighter as well as which brands to use. I use the Sephora Collection Trio Face Palette in Gleam. It is now my go-to look for a night out.
6) On this particular day the sun was out, there were no clouds in the sky, and I really wanted to go to the beach and tan. However, even the thought of doing so was quite intimidating. I have tanned before but it is an activity in the company of others, so going alone was a challenge. I found it easy to become insecure. There are a lot of beautiful people out there. People who are stronger, fitter, more confidence. etc, but I managed to muster up the courage and go. And go, I did. I spent that entire day at the beach soaking up the sun.
7) Now Lake Michigan is another story entirely. At the beach, I worry about losing my stuff whether it would get lost or get stolen. Until one day when I was too hot and too exhausted. All I wanted was to put my feet in the cold, cool water. So, I walked up to the edge in an area where there were not as many people, I sat down, and I put my feet in. It was refreshing. The water splashing on my legs ended up being a perfect way to cool off.
8) After working up the courage to put my feet in the lake, the next step I started towards was to swim in the lake when I was alone. Just as I did with putting my feet in, I found a spot where it wasn’t too crowded. I laid on my towel and tanned until I felt ready to go for a swim. I can say, I completed the feat. I had a great time. It was also a really hot day so the cold water made it that much sweeter.
9) Then, my next goal was to jump into the lake. I did have some concern as the edge was slippery. The last thing I wanted to do was slip in front of everyone. But I made it without falling. Next summer, I want to jump into the lake with friends. It would be a lot of fun.
10) Staying on the topic of swimming, I swam in a quarry for the first time this past summer. According to Dictionary.com, a quarry is, “An excavation or pit, usually open to the air, from which building stone, slate, or the like, is obtained by cutting, blasting, etc”. Upon visiting a friend, we tried out that quarry for the first time together. The quarry was bigger than expected. There were other activities to do part from swimming. There was a rock climbing inflatable in the middle of the lake which was a tough climb as there was no organization. Once at the top, there was a sense of accomplishment. In addition to that, There were also platforms one could jump from into the quarry and there was also an inflatable swing similar to that of a rope swing. Meanwhile, there was plenty of sand to go around. Families were building sandcastles and others were tanning. We have a private cabana where we ate lunch and talked for a bit. On top of that, the weather was absolutely gorgeous. It was sunny and hot. It was a perfect day.
11) In 2022, I completed a long 14 hour road trip myself. But in 2023, I drove alone at night to a new destination I have never been before. And I did not arrive until late into the night. As a female traveling alone at night, my Roman Empire was to make sure I would only stop at places that were well-lit the entire drive.
12) I visited and stayed with a friend on a military base. It was an eye-opening experience and quite cool. I got to learn some of the in’s and out’s of living on base. Sorry to say, hose secrets are safe with me. All jokes aside, my friends were great hosts as I had an awesome time staying over.
13) I went hiking at Mark Twain National Forest and not only was it my first time visiting but it was also my first time seeing a natural spring. Prior to, I have only seen hot springs before. The water of the natural spring was so beautiful. I was enticed immediately. Unfortunately, you were not able to go into the water, at least where I was at but the chance to take in the surroundings and cherish being outside in nature with the natural backdrop was hands down, one of my favorite memories.
14) In the past, when I was would see my hairstylist I would know the color I wanted, the style, and if I wanted a trim. During my last visit, I gave her complete freedom on what she thought was best. And this is the result:
It looked SO good and I loved it! I can’t wait to do it all over again.
15) I have been trying to get better at using excel so I took one of the LinkedIn courses called “Excel: Introduction to Formulas and Functions”. After completing the course, I feel more confident in my abilities going forward. I also look forward to taking more courses both on Excel as well as various other topics.
16) I also took the WordPress LinkedIn Assessment for the first time. A couple of the questions were a bit challenging but after having used the platform to blog for a few years, I was able to complete. I am proud to say I made to the top 15%.
17) For a little bit there, when I was on TikTok, I would see the trend of people “Shadow Journaling”. I had no idea what it was but I wanted to give it a go as I enjoy writing and journaling. According to Brooks Manley from the article A Guide to Shadow Work Journaling, “Shadow Journaling is a powerful practice for self-reflection and and personal growth. It involves exploring the unseen parts of ourselves that we often ignore. It can help to reach your full potential”. In my experience, I feel as though I learned quite a lot about myself. It is definitely an interesting spin on journaling.
18) Talking to strangers. At the beginning, it was intimidating to walk up to strangers and talk to them or to even to strike up a conversation with someone I did not know. However, the more I started to talk to people, the more comfortable I became. If I’m at an event, out somewhere and need assistance, or out and about, I don’t think even think about it. Now, it’s normal.
Along the way on this journey, I had some new fears unlocked:
19) The first one is my new fear of heights. I say new because when I was growing up, I loved being high in the air with no care in the world. Perhaps the reason this new fear developed is due to being more knowledgeable on the topic and understanding the consequences of what could go wrong whereas a kid/teenager I was more naive and thought I was invincible. Either way, I jumped off the medium platform at the quarry. Although I do not remember the actual height anymore, I thought it was at least a 10 foot drop. On a separate occasion, I was out rock climbing on a platform when I stepped off and dropped down three stories. There was only a weighted harness keeping me safe but it was the feeling of first stepping off that was scary. Since there was slack in the rope, it did not feel as though the rope would catch you. It felt like a free-fall for the first few seconds before being properly lowered to the ground.
20) Speaking of fears, another fear I have been facing head on is elevators. I had an experience in 2023 when an elevator that I was in began making loud noises and the ride was a bit more jerky than usual. To the point, that when I got off the elevator my legs felt like noodles. So, I ended up opting to take three flights of stairs each day instead. More recently, I have started to take elevators again as I have decided to I put trust in the 12 safety mechanisms that are in place for most elevators. I will have to let you know how it goes.
While out and about exploring, I came across some sights I had never seen before:
21) While out with a friend one night during the summer, I witnessed a tornado that came through the area. It was hands down, one of the scariest nights of my life but it also gave me a new perspective on life.
22) While living in Chicago, I came across a rather unusual sight. It was a lemon on top of a tree trunk. I was a bit confused the first time I came across it. But I learned that through the Chicago Tree Project they give dead trees to artists to turn into sculptures. This particular artist, Irene Hoppenberg, uses lemons in her sculptures as they bear a special meaning. Specifically, lemons are a symbol for the longing for the south, the sun, and the light. She hopes the the sculpture serves as a visual comment how climate change could influence the natural environment and change its vegetation. Per Irene, “The future of all living beings is the responsibility of each individual human and is defined by his actions”.
23) Another sight I came across was the Birdhouse Tree. It had so many birdhouses on one tree. I can’t even guess how many. This is another art installation called “Nestful” completed by Austin and artist Emily Moorhead-Wallace. It is a dying oak tree home to many species of migratory birds and insects.
24) One day while I was out for a walk in the spring, I came across a gate linked fence next to the Lincoln Park Zoo. I went in through the opening and it was a pond, Lily Pond, to be exact. It was perfectly hidden by green, tall trees and prospering flowers. In parts of the pond, there were clusters of lily pads, turtles huddled on logs, and people sitting enjoying nature’s true beauty. The quiet, blissfulness was a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of the city.
25) Another great attraction within the city is Lincoln Park (not the zoo or the neighborhood), the actual park portion which hosts soccer fields, basketball courts, softball fields, Farm in the Zoo, The Honeycomb, walking paths, Ulysses S. Grant monument, a pond, “Nestful”, and The Lemon Tree.. Whenever I talk to my friends or family, I reference it as “Lincoln Park Park” so there is no confusion or miscommunication.
26) While living in the city, I was in close proximity to several events including the ones mentioned below. All of which, I had never gone to before until 2023.
Chicago Marathon
Gay Pride Parade
Air and Water Show
All in all, I gained a lot. I even noticed positive changes in my life overall. Here are some new traits from the whole experience:
27) Independence. For some time, I would hesitate to go out and enjoy events on my lonesome. Typically I would reach out to a friend or even family to see if they would be able to go somewhere or to go an event with me. It was not until I started to challenge myself to do activities by myself that I become more confident.
28) Confidence. Growing up, I probably was not as confident as I could have been. I was insecure (and still am at times) but I feel much more confident now. The thing that helped me the most was my passion. By following my passions and exceeding my goals, I started to realize my full potential. And in turn, this made me more confident overall.
29) Letting go. I have not masted this by any means. I am still learning the art of letting go. However, I have gotten a lot better. I no longer put others on a pedestal. Now I let others people’s actions speak for themselves and I move on.
30) Growth. At the beginning, when I would do something out of my comfort zone, I didn’t notice a difference. As time when on, I realized that things were changing, I was changing.
Over the course of the past year, there is so much I have experienced, so much I have learned, so much that has challenged me, and so much that has inspired me. I am going to continue on in this journey, but I also encourage you to take a leap of faith, to get out of your comfort zone, and push yourself to new levels. In the end, you will be as grateful as I am now.
As a signature of this blog, I like to end each post with a suggestion to “Pass on kindness”. After all, there is no such time as the present to “Inspire Those Who Inspire You”. Passing on kindness, does need to be this big, elaborate ordeal. You could smile at a stranger, compliment something you love about someone’s outfit or personality, tell someone how proud you are of them or that you thinking of them. Even small acts can have a huge impact on someone.
