My life's been mapped out to a T but I'm always a little lost

Take overnight trips to at least 3 different places outside the states of CT and RI.A big international trip isn’t in the cards until after I graduate, but that doesn’t mean I can’t travel at all. Weekend (or “weekend” since I have Fridays off from class but usually work Saturdays and Sundays) trips feel like the right way to get a little travel in without breaking the bank or neglecting my many responsibilities. I already have two trips planned, one to Burlington, VT for the Fourth of July and a weekend in Milwaukee during my August downtime between my internship ending and the school year starting. (And fear not, Rhode Islanders - I love your state dearly, but it didn’t seem fair to be able to check off a travel goal with the usual overnight visit to my sister’s house for Thanksgiving.)

Visit at least 5 different CT state parks.Exploration on a budget! I’ve taken Molly to some parks since moving back to CT and would like to be more intentional about it. It’s both a fun way to explore the state and a way to get some exercise in on a good hike or walk with the pup. There’s a ton of options for state parks, so many more than I realized even after growing up here, and I’d like to try as many as I can.

Visit at least 5 different locations featured in Secret Connecticut.I picked up this book during a visit to RJ Julia’s Middletown shop (I love indie bookstores, see goal #10) and have thumbed through it, but have yet to use it for its intended purpose of actually going out and exploring the interesting places described within. Some are just in the book for the stories and not really publicly accessible or all that interesting to visit, but there should be enough to make for some fun drives and adventures.

Attend at least 3 college or professional (including minor league) sports games.The way to make this budget-friendly is to eschew the New York and Boston pro teams, as much as I want to revive taking my dad to an annual Capitals-Bruins hockey game (after law school!), and instead look for UConn, WNBA, and minor league baseball and hockey games in Connecticut.

See at least 3 different live music concerts.I’ve struggled to do this recently, between no longer living in a major city where artists often stop, budget/time constraints often getting in the way of making the trek to New York/Boston shows, and Waxahatchee’s show at Toad’s Place coming right before spring semester finals. But I really love live music and want it to be a bigger part of my life this year. The Soundside Music Festival has a fantastic lineup, though the price and giving up work hours sting a little, we shall see.

Learn at least 5 new songs on the acoustic guitar.I bought a Daisy Rock guitar last summer and play occasionally, but not as often as I’d like. Hoping to nudge myself to play a little more often and try to grow as a player without putting too much pressure on myself. It’s a good way to spend downtime that’s better for me mentally than scrolling the Internet endlessly, but the latter can just be so tempting.

Make and share at least 5 music playlists with at least 15 songs each.I can sometimes get stuck in musical ruts, listening to the same albums and playlists over and over again. It’s hard not to when they’re so good! But making new playlists is a good way to refresh my listening and not forget about tracks I enjoyed even if I don’t listen to the album all that often. (Ahem, Taylor Swift and Beyonce’s too-long albums this year with some gems but also some mediocrity.)

Decorate my home with at least 3 new pieces of art or photography.This doesn’t have to break the bank. Etsy and craft fairs are good places to find relatively inexpensive pieces, and maybe my loved ones want to give me some as gifts? I have some art and photos up already, but I’m always happy to have more.

Read at least 5 books unrelated to law school or the practice of law.A bite-sized reading goal. I did a lot of reading for 1L classes last year and barely read anything for fun, but maybe with the clinic instead of doctrinal classes this fall semester I’ll have a little more time to read for pleasure, and I want to make it more of a priority. I regularly visit the Meriden library to study, so I can accomplish this without spending money by picking up books there instead of buying. Although…

Participate in the 2025 CT Book Trail Passport Challenge, with the beyond-35th-birthday goal of winning the “Slow and Steady Prize” for visiting all 21 CT indie bookstores between Indie Bookstore Day in late April 2025 and Labor Day.Connecticut’s indie bookstores typically celebrate Indie Bookstore Day with a challenge to visit as many as possible in a weekend. Which is delightful except for the part where Indie Bookstore Day is always the last Saturday in April, also known as crunch time for exam studying. So visiting all 21 on that weekend while I’m still in law school is just never going to happen. Still, I can at least get to one and pick up a passport, then meander around the state over the summer visiting bookstores and getting stamps!

Send 35 letters or cards to other people.As the daughter of a mailman, I love mail! I have a habit of impulse-buying cute cards and need to find more things to do with them. Plus, if I budget for it this year, maybe I’ll revive the Christmas card tradition I let fall by the wayside last year to save money and time during law school finals. Or I’ll send more mail during the year.

Write and publish a post for The Word Cloud at least once a month.I love writing on here when I make the time to do it. Just need to prioritize. Hopefully the rest of these goals will give me lots of fun adventures to write about in addition to law school updates!

Make a list of 35 moments I’m grateful for from this year.Not ashamed to admit I plagiarized this one from Meghan. I don’t find daily gratitude an especially helpful practice - I know it works for others and I’m happy for them, but for me it can be an exercise in frustration when I’m feeling depressed and it’s a struggle to be genuinely grateful for things. But I think a longer-term view of gratitude will be more beneficial. Hopefully I’ll have lots of things to list!

Cook at least 35 different recipes designed to combat insulin resistance.I’m not diabetic, but my doctor and I think I may have PCOS, which is tied to insulin resistance. Diet is one way to manage insulin resistance and potentially reduce PCOS symptoms. I’m pretty averse to goals focusing on weight loss, but I do want to take better care of myself, and this is one way to do it.

Cook at least 35 different vegetarian recipes.I don’t intend to go fully vegetarian, but I basically gave up beef the past year for environmental reasons (I made one exception for Aunt Cheryl’s Christmas dinner) and didn’t miss it. Not eating meat is both better for the environment and cheaper, and every little bit helps. (Note: the same recipe can count for both goals #14 and #15 if it satisfies both criteria. Vegetarian and insulin resistance-friendly is the best of both worlds!)

Pack a lunch for school or work at least 35 times.This is aimed at both saving money and eating healthier. Obviously making myself something to take in is the ideal, but even planning ahead enough to take in a frozen dinner is cheaper and usually healthier than takeout.

Abstain from UberEats and other food delivery apps for 35 consecutive days.I’m mostly avoiding “consecutive” goals because it can feel demoralizing to build up a good streak and then have it vanish, but this is a habit I really, really need to break, so consecutive is the best approach here. I got in the habit during the pandemic, but it’s time to give it up for good. It’s expensive and bad for my health.

Avoid purchasing any single-use plastics on at least 35 days.As you may have guessed from giving up beef, I’ve been thinking about how to reduce my impact on the environment, and single-use plastics are definitely one where I can improve, especially since we’re learning how hard it is to recycle them. I can bring in my Diet Coke from home (aluminum cans and cardboard are very recyclable!) and otherwise avoid buying prepackaged things, and I want to make a habit of it as much as I can.

Complete a weekly grocery shopping trip (running in for one or two things doesn’t count!) without purchasing any single-use plastics.This is a stretch. I religiously use either my purse or reusable bags to carry what I buy, even before plastic shopping bags were banned in CT, but so many things are packaged in plastic that it takes real effort and research not to buy them - especially since I’m pretty busy and convenience foods save time. But I really want to try and see if I can do it.

Use my YMCA membership (or a different gym membership if I switch) at least 35 times.Holding myself accountable for getting into a fitness routine. I am more active than I was during the pandemic, but I know it would be good for me to do more and going to fitness classes or making time to swim laps seems like the best way to accomplish that.

Try 5 YouTube or other free online fitness classes.As good as a gym is, it’s not open all the time! I’d like to try this and see if it works for me as a way to fit physical activity into my often-packed schedule.

Meditate at least 35 times.A meditation practice is good for my anxiety when I make time to do it, but I can be really bad about setting aside time to do it regularly. Hoping this will nudge me in the right direction and make it more of a habit.

Submit a note or comment for publication to one of UConn’s law journals.I was honored to be invited to the Connecticut Public Interest Law Journal, which encourages students to publish a note, and submitting a note is one way to fulfill the writing requirement for graduation. I’ve kicked around an idea with my labor law professor and would like to move further with it/potentially get it published.

Attend at least one UConn Law event per month (during the academic year only, September-April) hosted by a student organization I don’t belong to.I’m already fully involved in a whole bunch of things, but UConn Law groups hold interesting one-off events all the time, like career panels, networking events, info sessions on neat topics, or events to de-stress and have fun. Plus, going to an event both makes the group more likely to get student government funding in the future and often involves free food.

Attend the Peggy Browning Fund’s annual Workers’ Rights Conference in October.The Peggy Browning Fund sponsors summer internships for law students with labor law firms and labor unions and also hosts an annual conference. A couple people who work/have worked in labor law suggested I attend this conference even though I haven’t yet gotten a fellowship - they say it’s a great networking opportunity and chance to learn more about labor law. It takes some planning and budgeting to allow for missing a weekend of work, but I really want to do it!

Land a summer internship working in labor and employment law.The dream! I’m definitely going to apply for internships through the aforementioned Peggy Browning Fund and also look for opportunities through UConn Law’s career services and my own research and networking.

Maintain a 3.5 or higher GPA during 2L year.This feels doable, since I currently have a GPA slightly above 3.5 after my first year and I can now take classes that don’t have a mandatory curve. A stretch goal would be to break into the top 20% of my class (I’m just shy of that now), but I don’t want to set goals based on things not in my control.

Get a new tattoo from an artist based in Connecticut.I really like my first tattoo and I’m starting to think about designs for a second, though I haven’t committed to anything yet. As much as I loved the experience with Nicole Coogan and am so happy I went with my sister and her partner’s tattoo artist for the first, New Bedford, MA is a long way to drive to get ink done. I’d like to find and support a local artist doing cool work!

Try riding an adult tricycle or e-trike.I have sensory processing disorder, and one of the senses it affects is vestibular, which relates to balance. I’ve never been able to ride a two-wheeled bike as a result. But e-bikes are getting more popular and I have some friends who really love theirs and use cargo e-bikes as a near-total replacement for car trips. And they do make adaptive e-trikes and adult trikes. Right now, I’m not in a position to spend the money on an e-trike and don’t have the storage space, but I’d like to see if I enjoy riding one so that when I do have more money and space, I know if I’d like to own one.

Visit a float tank at least 3 times.I can’t do massages - the aforementioned sensory processing disorder also involves hypersensitivity to touch and so massages are painful for me, not relaxing. But I love float tanks, sometimes also called sensory deprivation tanks. Floating in the water helps ease the physical tension I carry in my back and shoulders and is a calming, meditative space that helps me feel relaxed. 3 visits is a good way to build relaxation into my life without breaking the bank!

When it opens, visit the Immerse HydroSpa near my weekend job.I’ve visited a couple variations of hydrospas while traveling abroad, including a Roman bath-style hammam in Rome which I absolutely loved, but I’ve never seen anything like it locally until now. I’d really like to give it a try!

Receive autism spectrum disorder screening from a qualified facility.If you read the link on sensory processing disorder (you get a gold star!), you might have noticed it’s a pretty controversial diagnosis. A lot of experts think it’s a subset of autism spectrum disorder and/or other neurological conditions. I didn’t have a full autism screening as a child, but for various reasons I suspect I may have it and I’d like to find out for sure either way. I’m riding the waitlist at one facility, so this may take some time, but knowledge is a good thing.

Plan 3 outings with 3 or more other people.I did this a few weeks ago with some friends from law school to cash in on a dinner we’d won in the public interest auction with my favorite professor, and we had a lovely time. I’ve met such wonderful people in law school and want to make more of an effort to spend time with them outside of school, and I love planning things!

Spend time in-person with a relative at least once a month.I love being able to spend time with my loved ones much more easily now that I live a 45-minute drive away instead of a plane or train ride, but we all get busy and it can be hard to make time for visits. I want to be intentional about making that time, even during the semester! (Yes, holidays count. Otherwise December would be impossible.)