Are there 28 things I should do instead of getting engaged/married before I turn 28?

All the rage lately are these lists of "[Number] of Things to Do Instead of Getting Married at [Age, which is the same as Number]" or some variation thereon. At least two (three) of these posts emerged in response to this one. I'm not sure why some folks of my generation decry marriage as the end of life. (Maybe it's Timon's fault...) On the other hand, I'm not sure why others think life doesn't begin until you're in a stable, committed relationship. I don't hold to either of these ideas.

Coming up on 28, I've had a pretty good run so far. I won't regale you with a list of my accomplishments to date because, well, I'm not a high school student applying to college. (And who wants to read that anyway?) Neither will I deny that I haven't accomplished everything I hope to do in my lifetime, and I'm certainly not married yet. I hope marriage is a part of that lifetime sometime, but I'm not going to stop living now just because it's now a part of my life right now. (For the record, I also don't plan to stop living once I do marry, whenever (if) that happens.)

The blogs I mention read kind of like bucket lists at times, but this isn't one of those. For lack of a better term, these are some of my New Year's Resolutions. (A friend of mine resolved not to make any resolutions because this time of year isn't good for his resolve.) My list of resolutions includes a host of what I'll call "life fixes". (I don't have a better name for them right now. Do you have any ideas?) Instead of setting concrete goals, although I have those as well, I resolve to make choices and develop habits to improve my overall being.

*Connect more with the people in my life. Write monthly to the children I sponsor. Exchange letters with friends. Call my family more.

*Celebrate happiness. Last year, I had a happiness bucket for a hot minute. Now I have a happiness wall.
2.27 update: My sticky notes didn't stick to the wall. It's a happiness vase now. It's working:

Look at all that happiness in just two months!

*Be less critical when criticism is unasked or not constructive. This is particularly in relation to criticism from a distance, criticism of people I don't know, and criticism to make myself feel superior. (Hello, character flaw! Let's root you out!)

*Compliment others generously (and genuinely).

*Invest in people's lives. Ask how things are going. Follow up about projects, transitions, etc. Be present!

*Spend less time comparing my happiness/success with that of others.

Basically, it's all about being a decent, loving human being to myself and to the rest of humanity. If you're present in my life, I hope you'll hold me accountable. If we're not connected on a personal level, I hope you find something in this list worth applying to your own life. If you're inspired, I hope you'll connect through the comments and share your own "life fixes".

Whatever your marital status, age, or number of things to do,

here's to being present in 2014! I'm glad I'm here with you.

At 27, I went kayaking for the first time!
[with Sarah and Ryan (and also Mallory, who is taking the picture)]

Vicarious Living! (and lots of exclamation points...)

Okay, I won't deny it. My life is super incredibly blessed. One of those blessings is getting to see all of the cool and incredible things that my friends/acquaintances/peripheral connections are doing and experiencing all over the world.

A confession: I am mildly addicted to Facebook. I can go a few days without it and did recently, but usually, one of the first things I do in the morning is check the news feed. Not because anything life-changing is going to be posted but because I like that feeling of connection, even when it's so loose.

Recent developments (in no particular order):

• A local playwright has been invited to present his musical at the Midtown International Theatre Festival in Manhattan! He has a kickstarter page to help get the project funded. First thing this morning: $10 funded. Right now, just over an hour after I first saw the project: $670 funded. It's a fantastic way to support a person or a project. On the plus side of making a pledge, if the project isn't fully funded, you're not charged. I don't know this playwright really at all. We've met a couple of times. I haven't read or seen this show. So why did I make a pledge to his project? I saw him onstage in a local production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. He was Rosencrantz or Guildenstern, and his performance stunned me. (So did the actor opposite him. They were quite a pair.) He's a remarkably talented actor and so I support his pursuit of the arts in whatever avenue he chooses. Right now, that's this musical. (You can learn more about his musical and the kickstarter project here.) Incidentally, as I was writing this, the funding total went up to $680.

• A guy I met my freshman year of college just finished working on a Cirque du Soleil show in Macau!

• One of my youth orchestra families is taking a vacation to Paris next week!

• A family I know in Crestview, FL, upcycles found materials into art. See their work here and here and probably a couple of other places, too. They're frequently posting about where you can find their work in person, and they even have an etsy store.

• One of my dearest friends got married last month, another is now engaged, and I can't even begin to count the number of Facebook friends who are posting ultrasound or baby bump or "My, look how my baby's growing!" pictures.

• My mom, who, after much prayerful consideration, quit her job of three years back in January, was just hired as the Director of Development for a local hospital.

• Another theatre director friend was hired as the Executive Director of a local theatre and will be moving back once he finished grad school. Among his duties: direct this summer's production of Bye, Bye, Birdie. Also, he's going to be my opera buddy.

• A dance friend invited me to take a private lesson with a national instructor this Friday.

• (Disclaimer: This is not about a friend but rather about an exciting thing happening in downtown.) Barnes & Noble is opening a bookshop a block and a half from where I live! This is both good (easy access to books, hooray!) and bad (my bank account will likely take a hit). Focusing on the good!

• A gal from my church is going on a two-week mission trip to Brazil this summer!

Just look at all that happy! And that's only a small fraction of the happy that infuses my news feed every day!

As my mother would say, life is good!