5 Amazing Things I Got to Do in 2013

So the year will be over in exactly four hours and forty minutes, and I'd just like to share some awesome things that have happened this year due to my New Year's resolution from last year:

Say YES more.

I know. I know. I'm a Jim Carey movie. Hear me out, alright?

Last year I decided that being an introvert shouldn't keep me from going out and doing scary/weird/new things. I resolved to say yes to more things (not everything, cuz that just gets Zoey Deschanel mad at you), and as a result, some pretty cool stuff has happened this year. Let's get started.

5. Random Acts Scavenger Hunt of Kindness

So Misha Collins (aka Castiel from the CW's Supernatural) runs this nifty little charity called Random Acts that essentially raises money to spread kindness. On March 10th this year (i.e. the Random Acts Annual Melee of Kindness) my best friend Suzi put together a scavenger hunt in which the goal was to spread as much kindness as possible. Our two teams baked cookies for strangers, left kind notes on random cars, handed out water bottles at the Y, and so much more. And, when I accidentally left my phone on someone's car and thought I had lost it forever, the woman who owned said car drove all the way to Verizon Wireless and turned it in for me.

Karma?

In any event, I was so happy to have been a part of something so fun and special. Thanks Suz!

4. Graduating (Class of 2013!)

Now, I know that graduation wasn't really a 'choice', per say, but saying yes to moving on, to growing up, and to Chapel Hill was a big step for me. This day was incredible, and as much as the weather was predicted to be bad, not once did it rain on our parade :) I got all my last hugs in, gave letters to two incredible teachers that changed my life, and got to spend a week with relatives I hadn't seen in over 7 years. Not bad for the last day of high school.

Suz and I (Photo cred to my dad)

3. Meeting Andrea Gibson

In November I got to see my poetry idol with my suitemate and roommate from Carolina. We hopped on a bus (er . . . two buses) to Durham and stood in a crowd at the Pinhook bar to watch Andrea perform. This is something I never imagined I'd be doing (and loving), but there I was, five feet from this incredible woman and artist, on the verge of tears from how happy I was. After the show she autographed my Yellowbird CD of hers AND we got a picture!

Daww. Yay for crappy iPhone photography!

2. Making New Friends

So this seems like a given, but in college where there are 20,000 other people and lord knows if they're serial killers, making five incredible new besties this semester was huge for me. Max, Alicia, Crystal, Rosie, and Aitza are the absolute best, and I can't wait for many more months of fries and ice cream with these girls.

#turnup #not

1. Poetry Open Mics

This one was HUGE for me. I never thought I'd be reading my own poetry in a completely new format for strangers every month, but that's what I've been doing since September thanks to the UNC Wordsmiths. So far, I've read "Stories", "Breathless" and "Carry On", and I have no words for the incredibly kind feedback in response to my writing. Fantastic young poets and poetry fans alike have told me such nice things, and I have so much gratitude towards Wordsmiths for letting me continue to perform during the open mic portion of their monthly poetry slams. Nothing has helped me improve my confidence and creativity more than this outlet, and I can't wait to start the new year reading at the January slam.

(Photo cred to Will McInerney)

Happy New Year, everyone!

With love,

Laney