2018 will be the year I ... do stuff

I'm the kind of person who has nothing new to share about my life. A typical conversation with someone I haven't seen in a while goes something like this:

Her: "Hi! I haven't seen you in a while! What's new? What have you been up to?"

Me: "Literally nothing. Nothing has changed since you last saw me."

At first, I saw this as a good thing. I'm happy with my life. I like the way things are going for me. I like my basic routine, and I'm not going to lie, I like things just the way they are and I'm good with then staying the same. 

But after some reflection, I've realized that being comfortable isn't always best. If things stay the same, how do I grow? I cover more of this in my last blog post in this series -- 2018 will be the year I ... don't immediately reject change -- but I thought I'd take a little time to go over the things I want to physically do in 2018. I'm not big on resolutions, and by that I mean I'm not good at fulfilling them, so these are thoughts and intentions. (Though the good thing about having a blog is that once you put some of these things out there, you kind of have to follow up with them!)

I want to cook

When I think of the matriarchs of my family, I can't help but think of their cooking skills. Good food is like a getting a hug when you need it the most. I have about seven basic (and I mean BASIC) recipes I keep in rotation. But it's time to expand, grow my skills, and make some of the things my favorite people in the world used to make. I'm talking real soul food. To all my Austin loves, get ready to be my taste testers! 

I want to go on adventures

I was initially thinking of putting travel here, but going on adventures not only incorporates travel but also allows me to focus on doing fun, exciting things around me. I don't need to go to Europe to go on an adventure -- I can go to a nearby spring or to a new museum. (Though a trip to Europe sounds awesome, too!) In the summer, I'll be coming up on my fifth year in Austin. You know how much of Texas I've seen outside of the city? A bit of San Antonio and a little more of Dallas. I want that to change this year. I want to explore, and I don't want to shy away from solo-adventures either.

I want to start working on my book

I've been talking about writing a book for YEARS. It's been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. When I look back on lists of New Year's resolutions, writing a book is a standing item on the list. So how do I get started? I have no idea. But I'm going to find out. I've decided it's OK to make this a process. I don't need to write the whole book this year. But what I would like to do is have a focus or theme. So much swirls around in my head, it's time to start fleshing out these thoughts and make them real by putting them on paper.

Looks like I have a lot of "stuff" to do in 2018, and I'm sure you do, too! What kind of stuff are you going to do in 2018?