No more limits.

March 15, 2011 - my 28th birthday. I always do some sort of self-analysis around my birthday and this year was no different. This year's main conclusion is that the last year or so of my life was a bit of a roller coaster ride, between getting my first apartment, a professional commitment that resulted in more personal sacrifices than I ever imagined and a new relationship that helped me - little miss independent - balance the craziness all while presenting challenges that helped me grow in so many ways.

While this was all well and good and a "learning experience," as everyone likes to put it, my main goal this year is to reconnect with friends and family and concentrate on the things that inspire me most. I'd like to finally get to that list of things that I've always wanted to do but never did, one of which is writing a blog! Therefore, the title - the things I never did. I hope to use this blog to share my new experiences with you but I also ask that you help me...more on that later.

On my birthday, I was overwhelmed with all the birthday wishes I received, whether they were phone calls, (such as the one from my mother at exactly 8:05 a.m. - the time of my birth - love her.) text messages, e-mails, cards or Facebook wall posts. The majority of wishes were received through Facebook and while it's the quickest way to wish someone a happy birthday and viewed by many as impersonal, I cherish the fact that so many took 10 seconds of their day to send some love my way. I wanted to thank everyone individually, but instead I'd like to collect all the love and pass it on throughout the year. I decided that for every birthday wish I received, I will pledge 10 minutes of my time to volunteering for a local cause.

My grand total was 37 hours - I'll add 3 more hours of love to that and call it an even 40. Here's where you come in - I invite you to message me with local causes that need help and most importantly invite you to join me. Why do I want to keep this local? I understand that there are many worldwide causes/projects that are very worthy of my time, but feel that sometimes people concentrate on the big problems and forget that there are so many local causes that could also use some help! As one of my favorite DMB songs starts,

"To change the world,
start with one step.
However small,
first step is hardest of all."

I'll keep the purpose of this blog simple - to share my new experiences, educate you on local causes that need some love and keep the rest open-ended. No more limits.

Stay connected.
Much love.
-MC