Having recently read The Hidden Power of F*cking Up, by The Try Guys, I decided to put together a list of things to “try”. Some of these are fun things I’ve been wanting to do for a while, and some of these are hard things I’ve been putting off doing for a while. Anyway, here is my list of Just 10 Things to do before year’s end. (Roll credits).

Put together and gift a care package

This one is actually pretty straight forward. I already have it all planned out, and most of the pieces for it gathered. It will take me another couple of weeks to finish off and gift, but it’s probably the easiest one on this list!

Have some friends over for a nice afternoon tea

This one will be fun! I hope to bake some nice afternoon tea treats, make up a pot of tea and break out the nice tea set. It will just be a matter of organising and inviting.

Bake cookies for the neighbours

I did this last year for Christmas - baked some cookies for our next door neighbours with whom we have an amicable relationship. I’m hoping to do so again this year. And maybe for some of the new neighbours on the street as well.

Pay for a stranger’s coffee

Or hot chocolate. I’m not yet sure what the best way of doing this would be, but I would very much like to “pay it forward” for someone. You never know when someone’s day might need a lift!

Have a full day each month without screens or social media

This is going to be challenging. When my brain is pretty clear, I can go for hours without looking at my screens or social media. When my brain is foggy, though, I have no energy or desire to do anything but curl up in bed and watch some mindless TV. Still, it would be good for me to be disciplined about taking time away from screens for a day each month.

I’m just not particularly looking forward to it.

Host a small dinner party for friends

Maybe I’ll try doing a “Friendsgiving” this year. I’m not entirely sure what this is going to look like, when I’ll do it or how many people I’m going to be able to invite, but I am excited about the idea of an evening of good food and friends.

Walk the Bridge to Bridge and have a picnic with a friend

This is one of the most ambitious items on this list. The Nepean River Bridge to Bridge walk is about 6km long, which is quite a bit more than I can easily walk. Still, I managed it at the beginning of the year and would be keen to do it again. I’d love to go with a friend and finish up with a light picnic, but whoever I go with will have to be patient with me as I stop for regular breaks.

I am also kind of terrified of the PEM (post exertion malaise) that this will trigger, but I want to try. And, really, what else can you do?

Go to a concert

Given that I am actually writing this post a couple of weeks in advance, by the time to you are reading this I will have already gone to a concert. My favourite kpop group, GOT7, are performing in Sydney on the 22nd of August, and I have tickets to go, along with a group of my friends. I am so excited!

Memorise a poem

I’m pretty excited for this one. I haven’t memorised many poems over the years, and only one of them has stuck with me: Shakespeare’s 116th sonnet. Still, I love poetry (obviously) and would like to memorise another poem. This one will be a challenge for my brain, which is still more foggy than I think I realise. I am hoping, however, to memorise Love III by George Herbert. It’s a beautiful poem reflecting on the Eucharist - the technical name for the eating of the Bread and drinking of the Wine done by Christians in churches everywhere for a couple of thousand years.

Maybe this one will even stick!

Start exploring hygge

I am also really excited for this. I have already started trying to incorporate aspects of hygge living into my life, but I am keen to spend a month doing something to engage with hygge living everyday. My current plan is to do that throughout September and then write back to you about it in October. So if you have any questions about what hygge is, check back in October!