Maybe I could re-learn some things from the Allyssa that I was back in elementary school. Can’t we all learn one thing from our younger selves? At that time there was less apprehension when it came to setting goals that seemed so grand and far away. I’d like to introduce you to some random things I wanted when I was a little girl, just simply having fun in what I now consider the best decade to have not had a care. I swore I’d achieve one through five on this list, or bust.

I think a few of these listed points were what I incorporated whenever my friends and I played that old game MASH (Mansion, Apartment, Shack, House) I was rearing to be a grown-up and do all the “cool” stuff I thought grown-ups did whether it was staying up late, going to the mall by myself, or driving a real car. ‘90s Allyssa desired to achieve the following:

1. Firetruck Red Hair

I remember specifically saying I wanted my hair “firetruck red” when I grew up. I actually achieved this one a bit over a week ago. See it in the cover photo atop this listicle? I distinctly remember sitting in front of the television one night watching Showtime at the Apollo. Rapper/Writer Queen Pen was the celebrity performance for the night. I recall seeing her perform, styling with that hair and I thought, "You know what…? Yes." That’s all it took for me, then.

2. Run Away to Canada

Because...why not? I'd just pack my teddy bear, some food, a couple VHS tapes and everything would be good. What is it...like, few minutes walk north? Each time I got upset over some trivial thing and declared I was” running away” I knew exactly where I was going. I’d make a life in Canada and become what I have below for point number three.

3. Become Harriet the Spy

How can I ever forget Harriet? This 1996 movie was one of my favorites. I used to play outside, making believe that I was some special agent on a top-secret mission. I remember a phase when almost everything I wrote was labeled Top Secret. If I hadn't labeled it, you'd have to assume it still was 'confidential’. Chill days on the patio, doing espionage with neighbors probably thinking, "What is this child doing?" I just knew, then, that I'd take on her job, go places by myself like her, her friend and the rest of the “older kids”. You would most likely catch me doing somersaults into bushes and pulling out my binoculars.

4. Live in a Castle

I imagined going off to (not only Canada) but settling myself at the tip-top of the highest “Rapunzel" castle I could find. Basically, it was my “mansion” of choice in the MASH game whether I expressed that or not. I'd live there alone probably just to write stories and play with my dolls. I might have been showing one of the first signs of my introversion, but hey, that's how it was. I'm still a major introvert.

5. Do Fashion Design

Being a spy like Harriet would get a little tiring, right? So, it was decided. I’d be a spy by night and fashion designer by day — when I wasn’t writing stories of course. '90s fashion was so cute! It's the type of fashion that, I feel, translates very well over decades of trends. I used to draw everything from fuzzy hand warmers to asymmetrical shirts and skirts. It wouldn’t stop at those particular clothing items or accessories. Everybody was going to get a line of butterfly hair clips and light-up, glitter boots with my name on 'em.