2012 Bucket List!

So I have this tradition... In 2009, I celebrated the new year with my close friend Casey, and together we crafted "Bucket Lists" of things we hoped to accomplish that year. I loved it. New Year's resolutions stuck me as half-assed attempts at changing oneself. It was almost negative: what is wrong about me that I ought to change (but don't really want to).

But the lists were different. They were optimistic, and proactive. It was less about What can I improve about myself? and more What can I hold myself accountable for? What can I accomplish this year?

There are some big things—highlights include "Go to college" (2009), "Go to Europe" (2009, 2010), "Start a blog" (2010)—but I balance them out with smaller items that are still great experiences. It's all about being realistic about what I can do that year. By putting a few big items on the list, I hold myself accountable.

And not everything gets crossed off. Throughout the year, my wants and goals change. But the point is to write it down. As I learned from my mother, unless I write it down, shit don't get done.

Check out the full list.

2012 Bucket List

1. Work at The Boston Globe.
2. Study abroad.
3. Train for and run a half marathon.
4. Do something crazy.
5. Get a Yurman ring (or other indulgent gift).
6. Take a weekend trip.
7. Watch "Finding Nemo."
8. Buy something Kate Spade :)
9. Create a website, rebrand myself.
10. Pitch and publish a story with WBUR or The Boston Globe.
11. Buy myself leather boots.
12. Have poetry or photography published.
13. Travel to Scotland or Spain.
14. Volunteer 30 hours.
15. Ice skate on Frog Pond.
16. Cut bangs (again).
17. Get a professional massage.
18. Have a tea party.
19. Be in a dance.
20. Try a cleanse.
21. Skinny dip.
22. Learn basic HTML coding.
23. Send Kelly a care package.
24. Take a roadtrip.
25. Take a Duck Tour.
26. Go to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
27. Have a machaca burrito.
28. Spend a day walking around with my camera.
29. Go to a country or state I've never been to before.
30. Make a meal for someone.
31. Visit/see Lauren and Minna.
32. Ride a bike.
33. Write a letter to a soldier.
34. Climb to the top of Bunker Hill.
35. Walk the Freedom Trail.
36. Visit Concord and Lexington.
37. Play paintball.
38. Visit or volunteer on a farm.
39. Open a credit card.
40. Regularly transfer money into my savings account.
41. Register with the DAR.
42. See a psychic or tarot reader.
43. Have my portrait done.
44. Kiss someone on Valentine's Day.
45. Draw something I'd be proud to frame and display.
46. Decorate/redecorate my apartment.
47. Have an old-fashioned, girly, popcorn-and-chick-flick-fest sleepover. No boys allowed.
48. Visit a Harbor Island.
49. Plant a tree.
50. Tan regularly.

Happy New Year! I'd love to know what is on everyone else's lists, or what they're looking forward to in 2012. And I'm always looking for suggestions for future years! The 2009 list is only a hard copy, but check out others here:

• 2010 Bucket List (and update)
• 2011 Bucket List (and update)
• Summer 2011 Supplemental Bucket List