XXV

Twenty-five things I expect from myself at twenty-five

1. I expect myself to finally make the distinction between affect and effect (we all get confused sometimes, don’t we? No? Okay.)
2. I see myself backpacking across the seas, with a compass in my hand (on an app, of course)
3. I expect myself to have mastered the act of waking up in the morning, without the perpetual 5-minute snooze breaks. 
4. I would’ve learnt to cook actual, edible food; and not eat cereal and ramen noodles indefinitely. Also not on paper plates- I will own crockery and cutlery. 
5. I expect myself to have a passable knowledge of the working of the world, and current affairs. Passable, to post a Facebook status once in a while, you know?
6. I will have a bank balance that is above Rs.0. You know, unless there’s a sale. Or maybe rent due. 
7. I expect myself to actually bake a cake, without prematurely eating the batter. 
8. I would have mastered the act of reading a hardbound book without bending the spine. However hard it may be.
9. I would have learnt to manage my sleep pattern and coffee intake, instead of drowning myself in Macchiatos. 
10. My room will finally look like a neat mess, and will redefine organised chaos.
11. I would’ve adopted a stray dog from the streets, and felt happy after hours of endless barking.
12. I want myself to have scuba dived at least once, to explore the ocean in its rawest form.
13. I want to have skydived, just for the adrenaline rush of feeling free, 
14. I would’ve achieved a sense of peace, yet not left behind my gut feeling of taking things as thet go.
15. I would want to have camped out, under the stars, each time I felt nostalgic, low, or confused. For the sake of constance, and fond memories of the sky. 
16. At that age, I see myself with a decent resume, with accomplishments other than high scores on video games. I see myself as a person who is successful enough to prove a point- to no one but myself.
17. I expect myself to have retained my values of honesty and loyalty, and not let anything shackle my morality. 
18. I would’ve given back to the world, even a tiny percent of what it has given me. 
19. I expect to have learnt to say hello in 50 languages, just to evade my fear of being lost in translation. 
20. I would want to have read every Pulitzer Prize Fiction Novel- just to see what was so good, in order to craft my own opinions.
21. By that age, I would want to have attended the Olympics, to be a part of something spectacular.
22. I expect myself to have achieved a sense of equilibrium, but still have pangs of emotion, because they make life worth living.
23. I would like to see my name in a book, because words mean that much to me.
24. I see myself as a person who looks for colours in greyscales, and silver linings in the dreariest of tempests.
25. I see myself as a person who finally found herself, after years of exploring horizons, soul-searching, and internal catch-22 situations. I see myself as a person who knows it was all worth it in the end.