27

Barack Obama turned 54 today. I turned 27. I won't be the president in another 27 years, but in the next year I do hope to accomplish a few things.

First, let's see if I reached my goals for 26:

Cultivate my life uniform: I'm really proud of my accomplishments in this. I buy wayyyy fewer things, and what I do "fits" who I am, in both body type and style. I stumble here and there (sundresses are my kryptonite), but I feel like my wardrobe is finally representing who I am, not just what's on sale at Target.
Be socially just, especially regarding food: Still a work in progress. My charitable giving this year basically all went to the Chicago Food Depository (being more charitable was a goal two years ago), and I try to buy as local as I can while also eating healthy. Luckily for me, Aldi is all about local farmers aaaaand they have a few "happy meat" options.

Find new employment. Acquire health insurance. Learn about 401ks: YES! I did all three of these, except instead of a 401k I have a 403b, the nonprofit version of a retirement plan. Who knew these little things would make a lady so happy? I smiled with glee while filling out pages and pages of (online) paperwork.

Keep dreaming. Keep balanced. Keep true to myself. I'd say this was a stellar year of personal growth. Without tooting my horn too much, I'm more confident in who I am (and who I'm not) than I ever remember being.

And my 27 list, the things I want for my life in the next year:

Embrace new friendships: Starting a new job means having lots of new coworkers. I plan on being intentional about building community with both my Campus Team and the Chicago Regional Team.

Cultivate old friendships: I spent a lot of time catching up with friends over the summer/before starting my new job. I hope to continue that tradition as the school year begins. Definitely a challenge!

Reach out to potential mentors: I've always wanted a mentor, but I forget sometimes that I need to be proactive and ask for them. As a Teaching Fellow I'll be in contact with lots of teachers, administrators, and education professionals, all potential guides for me as I figure out where I want my Fellowship to take me.
Create a home: I'm living with my forever roommate, which means blending our possessions and compromising our interior designs. I am so excited to turn our first apartment together into a home we can fondly remember as the place where we created our own culture as a couple.