Before you are even able to walk and talk your parents begin to plan the first major birthday celebration you will attend, your first birthday party. Every year after that the planning never stops. For me, the years consisted of spa parties, shopping parties, a huge Fifteens party, a car at sixteen and a trip and skydiving for my eighteenth. For the past nineteen years my birthdays (and many other people’s) have been extremely special and events that take months in the planning. However, as I celebrated my nineteenth birthday it was much different. It is my first birthday as an adult and life is busier than ever. Therefore, how exactly should one celebrate? I asked myself that question and came to the conclusion that for my nineteenth birthday I was going to spend a week doing things I love no matter how small they where… This gives me the ability to do everything I wanted with having to allocate hours to do it and giving me time to reflect on this past year. Hear is a list of things I did this week and I also suggest everyone turning nineteen or another "pointless" year considers doing.
1. Sleep In
With everything going on at this point of your life, sleep is often overlooked but it is something that is truly needed to be energized and ready. Therefore, chose one day put your phone on “Do Not Disturb” and turn off the alarm clock, go to sleep early and wake up whenever your body tells you should. No rushing out the door and no stress of sleeping.
2. Spend Time with Family (and Friends that are Family)
Often times birthdays get consumed by going out and celebrating with the random people you have in your life in the moment. Your college roommates, your long lost friends, and people you invite so that your party does seem empty. However, this year all I want to do is spend time with the often unappreciated people in my life: my family and my friends that are family. My sisters, brothers, cousins, aunt, uncles, parents, grandparents, and best friend!
3. Eat A Restaurant You Have Always Wanted To Eat At
Go to dinner at that one place you have always wanted to go to. Break the diet, spend some money, and treat your self by starting the year trying something new.
4. Celebrate With Breakfast
While you spend one day sleeping in spend the other day waking up early. Get up watch the sunrise and take advantage of all the free breakfast food restaurants offer on your birthday. Go to Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, IHOP, and Denny's for a few free birthday treats!
5. Travel
No need to get on a plane or leave for several days but get in your car, on the bus, a train or a plane and go somewhere you have not gone before!
6. Make A List Of Things You Want To Do This Upcoming Year
Make your nineteenth year as eighteen and make a list of goals you wish to accomplish. It helps set a focus for this year and motivates you to be positive in this upcoming year.
7. Look Thru Your Phone (or camera) For Pictures Of The Past Year
Since time feels like it flies by, it is difficult to remember everything you actually did. Therefore, go thru you phone,camera, or social media and see how far you have come in the past year. Also look at the pictures and reminisce on the amazing memories.
8. Do Your Passion
Some of us like to play golf and others like to go shopping. For me, I love to debate. No matter what you are passionate about take time out of your birthday week to feed that passion and immerse yourself in what you love.
9. Embrace The Fact That You Are Getting Old
For me, this one was very hard because I was not expecting to feel old but for some reason nineteen felt different. This year I realized that I had a year to practice being an adult and that in just one more year before you reach your 20s. Feel old yet?
