Tomorrow I’m turning 35! I’ll be old enough to be president, which would be a terrifying thought except that I’m pretty convinced I could do a better job than the current guy.
Right before my last birthday, I made myself a list of 34 goals I wanted to accomplish by age 35. While I’m knocking on the door of 35, it’s time to take stock and see how it all went.
I’ve organized my goals into three categories: total failures where I just didn’t put in the effort, partial successes where I made an honest effort but didn’t quite do as much as I’d hoped at the start of the year, and fully completed goals.
I completed 17 of my goals (50%), started but didn’t complete 12 of them (35%), and didn’t put in any real effort on 5 of them (15%). If you account for progress to each goal, I completed about 70% - “about” here because there are two goals that were one-time things that I put in a lot of work toward but didn’t complete by the end of the year (including one I’m literally finishing tomorrow) so I just treated them both as 80% complete for spreadsheet purposes.
One important thing: I’m not trying to pick on myself for the goals I “failed” at or didn’t complete. Some of them just didn’t pique my interest this year as much as I thought they would, others were worthwhile goals I may try again in the future but the timing was just all wrong. (How I missed you, Indie Bookstore Day, while I was holed up writing.) I did a lot of the things I said I wanted to do, and I did some incredibly cool shit this year that showed up in these goals either tangentially (my paper on police unions) or not at all (winning my client’s asylum case). But reflecting on what didn’t work, as well as what did work, is important for self-discovery and understanding what I really want for myself in the future.
Let’s go!
Failures. These are the goals that, for various reasons, just weren’t happening this year.
Learn at least 5 new songs on the acoustic guitar. I didn’t put in the effort at all this year. I still want my Daisy Rock to be something other than a very pretty wall decoration, but with everything else going on, I haven’t made the time.
Participate in the 2025 CT Book Trail Passport Challenge. This ended up being the weekend before my research paper was due. I was in the midst of a writing frenzy trying to get it done with enough time for a good proofread before the deadline, so I didn’t leave my apartment complex over a 3-day weekend and only left my actual apartment to walk my dog.
Complete a weekly grocery shopping trip (running in for one or two things doesn’t count!) without purchasing any single-use plastics. Another one I just didn’t really think about or put in the effort on. It somewhat conflicted with my goals to cook more and rely on takeout/delivery less, since convenience foods and pre-cut vegetables really help me out in that regard.
Try riding an adult tricycle or e-trike. I was hoping to make this happen while traveling, but I got a stomach bug in Vermont that kept me away from the bike rentals and my bike-loving Milwaukee friends tried to find one for me to try out while I was there but to no avail. After that, I took a cursory look at local bike shops but didn’t follow through on going to one for a test ride. I’ll likely move in November/December 2026 and I’m hoping I’ll have more storage space for an adaptive trike wherever I end up, so I still have some time to investigate.
Receive autism spectrum disorder screening from a qualified facility. Still riding the waitlist at the facility I would like to be evaluated at and looked into a couple of others before deciding they were too expensive and/or didn’t seem trustworthy. So it wasn’t for a total lack of effort on my part, but that’s also what I get for pinning a goal on something I couldn’t control. I’m also second-guessing how much I want a formal diagnosis under HHS Secretary RFK Jr, who has proposed creating a database of autistic people and lied about a link between vaccines and autism.
There was an attempt… I made a good effort to complete these goals but didn’t quite get there.
Visit at least 5 different CT state parks. The weather was a bit of an obstacle to this one - I swear it rained every weekend for months during the spring and summer. Still, I made it to Lovers Leap, Wadsworth Falls, Housatonic Meadows, and a last-minute trip this weekend to Harkness Memorial.
See at least 3 different live music concerts. Soundside Music Festival was a blast (thanks Mom!), and according to the “rules of what counts as a show” from my music nerd listserv, that counts as two shows since it was over two days. But I was really bad about making the time for other shows, especially since going out to Boston or New York is a lot right now and the one local show I really wanted to go to (John Moreland at Space Ballroom) was horribly timed around finals/asylum hearing. I’m planning to see Hurray for the Riff Raff at Space Ballroom in a few weeks, at least!
Make and share at least 5 music playlists with at least 15 songs each. I made 3 playlists: God’s a working woman (a favorite I listen to routinely now), DNC 2024 Roll Call Playlist, and a study playlist called lo-fi beats but it’s actual music.
Read at least 5 books unrelated to law school or the practice of law. I jinxed myself with this one in my original writeup, when I said “maybe with the clinic instead of doctrinal classes this fall semester I’ll have a little more time to read for pleasure.” Reader, I did not have more time to read for pleasure. Quite the opposite, actually. I read Stephanie Land’s memoir Maid and Jessica Calarco’s sociological study Holding It Together, both of which I really enjoyed, but the rest of my reading was devoted to class reading, approximately a zillion asylum cases, and everything I could get my hands on regarding police and teachers unions.
Write and publish a post for The Word Cloud at least once a month. I skipped January, since that was when I was telling myself I should write about politics and my heart wasn’t in it. Also had a couple occasions (August and April) where I wrote about things that happened that month but didn’t get it posted until after, which I count since I also wrote later September/May posts. This was a good goal and I’m glad you all gave me the chance to write and share it.
Cook at least 35 different recipes designed to combat insulin resistance. I didn’t cook as much as I would have liked this year and relied on some standby recipes when I did instead of trying new ones. Still, I made 9 new PCOS-friendly recipes.
Cook at least 35 different vegetarian recipes. See above, but I tried 10 vegetarian recipes. One thing I did some of this year that I’d like to do more of is use lab-grown meat substitutes in place of meat in recipes I already like, and that went well, though I’d also like to do more cooking that uses alternate proteins (and doesn’t use them as fake meat, which is the worst thing you can do with soy).
Use my YMCA membership (or a different gym membership if I switch) at least 35 times. I almost completely failed this, but my weight loss doc had a come-to-Jesus talk with me in mid-June and I made a couple visits after then. I definitely need to find a regular exercise routine that works for me as I try to get healthy.
Submit a note or comment for publication to one of UConn’s law journals. This is in progress, but not quite there yet. I’ve been working on revisions to my police union paper and want it to be the very best work I can do before I submit. The Connecticut Public Interest Law Journal is accepting student submissions for the fall this month and I plan to finish my revisions and submit then.
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 was 7 for 8 on this one and making the effort was a nice thing that allowed me to support some friends, learn about some things I wouldn’t have otherwise, and get some tasty free food. Would’ve been complete if I hadn’t been so in the thick of it with depression in November that I didn’t go to anything outside my own groups. (Look, Trump had just been elected and my weight loss meds were fucking with my head. It was a bad time.) I particularly enjoyed the Energy and Environmental Law Society’s speaker on how climate change will affect disaster relief and insurance law and the First Generation Students Association’s journaling activity.
Get a new tattoo from an artist based in Connecticut. So, so very close to completing this one. I picked a design and shop in March, saved up some money once I started working this summer, and went to the shop a couple weeks ago for a consult and got a tattoo appointment…tomorrow. (On the plus side: birthday tattoo!)
Plan 3 outings with 3 or more people. I only planned one and it was semi-spontaneous, but it was a worthwhile one - a community gathering the day after the election to talk about and process it together.
Successes! These are the goals I completed in their entirety.
Take overnight trips to 3 places outside of CT/RI. Checked this off with a visit to Vermont for July 4, a visit to Milwaukee in August to see some wonderful friends, and the Peggy Browning Fund conference in October.
Visit at least 5 different locations featured in Secret Connecticut. This one didn’t take a ton of work, since it had several locations that could be driven by (or on, in the case of the Merritt Parkway). I’ll take the stat padding, but going to switch it up next year to encourage more exploration. It is a cool book, though!
Attend at least 3 college or professional (including minor league) sports games. This was a fun one to complete. I took my dad to the XL Center to see a UConn women’s basketball game as a Christmas present, went to a Hartford Wolf Pack game to see the Hartford Braillers blind hockey showcase during intermission, and joined my sister’s partner’s family for a Quinnipiac hockey conference playoff game.
Decorate my home with at least 3 new pieces of art or photography. I found a gift card to IKEA I hadn’t used and spent it on new artwork, including prints of The Starry Night and one of Monet’s Water Lilies paintings. Bonus: between that and an original piece I bought when living in DC, I now have an Impressionist-themed bedroom!
Send 35 letters or cards to other people. I sent postcards to voters in swing states in advance of the November election, encouraging them to vote. Ultimately, it didn’t turn out the way I wanted, but it was a good way to accomplish this goal.
Make a list of 35 moments I’m grateful for from this year. Done and it lives here! This was a good exercise.
Pack a lunch for school or work at least 35 times. I’ve gotten really good about doing this when I’m going into work and have a fridge or freezer to put lunches in. Unfortunately, I haven’t made as much progress taking lunches to school, since I don’t have a readily accessible place to store them and there are only a few microwaves on campus to warm things up.
Abstain from UberEats and other food delivery apps for 35 consecutive days. I did this successfully in August and September, but unfortunately backslid in the winter/spring and started ordering more delivery again when I was dealing with depression and life got busier. Still, it’s nice to know I can do it.
Avoid purchasing any single-use plastics on at least 35 days. Abstaining from Diet Coke entirely helped while I was on the meds where I couldn’t drink it, but even now that I’m able to drink it again, I’ve gotten into the habit of using aluminum cans (much more recyclable) and my reusable drink bottle. Still working to reduce my plastic consumption elsewhere.
Try 5 YouTube or other free online fitness classes. I started having some (mild but annoying) lower back pain a couple months ago and tried various chair yoga/exercise videos to try to stretch out and strengthen my muscles. It was a really good way to find beginner-friendly workouts that gave me guidance on what to do.
Meditate at least 35 times. I’ve been getting better about building this into my routine - it’s not yet a daily thing for me, but I meditate 2 or 3 times a week. It was especially helpful for managing stress in the run-up to the asylum clinic hearing.
Attend the Peggy Browning Fund’s annual Workers’ Rights Conference in October. Even though it didn’t lead to a summer job through the Peggy Browning Fund, this was still such a great experience. I loved meeting other people who share my passion for labor law and protecting workers’ rights.
Land a summer internship working in labor and employment law. I’m spending this summer working at Madsen Prestley and Parenteau, a law firm that represents workers in a wide variety of cases, and I’m absolutely loving it.
Maintain a 3.5 or higher GPA during 2L year. My fall GPA was a 3.725 and my spring GPA was a 3.540, so mission accomplished. I would have liked my spring GPA to be a little higher - with my paper and my asylum case, I just didn’t have the bandwidth to study for finals as much as I wanted - but I met the goal I set for myself and my overall GPA is sitting pretty at 3.583.
Visit a float tank at least 3 times. I ended up doing this more than 3 times and I’m very grateful I did. Floating helps me feel relaxed and eases the tension I tend to carry in my shoulders and back.
When it opens, visit the Immerse HydroSpa near my weekend job. I left the weekend job well before the Immerse HydroSpa ever opened, but I did make the trip back to Glastonbury once the spa was open and really enjoyed it. The eucalyptus steam room was a favorite and so good for my skin.
Spend time in-person with a relative at least once a month. Loved doing this! I will admit that during a couple of busier months, the visits were shorter ones borne out of necessity, but most months the visits were longer meals, events, or celebrations where we got to spend real time together. It’s great living closer to my relatives.
And that’s the year! I’m proud of what I was able to accomplish this year and looking forward to more in 35.