What I’ve Learned After 31 Years of Wandering, Wondering, and Growing
Birthdays have never been loud affairs for me. Over the last few years, I’ve realised I prefer to honour them slowly and with intention, like a quiet camping trip with myself, or an evening of shared food and stories with loved ones.
This year, like those before it, invited me inward: to pause, to do what I love, and to listen.
My New Birthday Ritual: Solo Trips
I tend to get nostalgic, anxious and overly emotional before my birthday. When the sun hovers directly above, it can blind us. Too much light shakes the mind and makes the past and future dance together.
But there’s something sacred about this season. The heart speaks with wiser words and intuition sharpens.
That’s why I began a new ritual, giving myself the best gift I can: presence. I spend my birthday doing what I love most: hiking, camping, traveling. I take time to reflect on what I’m grateful for, the lessons I’ve learned, how I feel, and where my dreams are pulling me next.
I’ve had big parties before (and I’ve enjoyed them) but I’ve come to value something smaller, more intentional. In 2022, I began honouring my time on Earth with solo adventures. Without realizing it, I continued doing it, and enjoying it deeply.
Solo birthday trips:
- 2022 – Living in Tenerife, Spain, I celebrated my 28th birthday with a solo trip to La Gomera.
- 2023 – Working in Gudvangen, Norway, I turned 29 with a backpacking trip to a nearby valley.
- 2024 – Based in Freycinet, Tasmania, I spent my 30th birthday traveling to Launceston and hiking the Freycinet Peninsula Circuit.
- 2025 – Now living in Hobart, Tasmania, I turned 31 with a solo visit to Hastings Caves and a soak in the thermal pool (camping trip postponed due to weather, but coming soon).
I know celebrating alone is not for everyone, but I highly recommend to take some time during your birthday to reflect on your life, be grateful and dream about the future.
Over time, I’ve come to realise we can create our own rituals, ones that truly resonate. My birthdays may seem quiet to some, adventurous to others. What matters is that they feel meaningful to me.
31 Life Lessons I Want to Carry Forward
Here is a quiet gathering of thoughts scattered like stones I’ve picked up along the trail. Thirty-one lessons I’ve learned (or am still learning) and things I want to remember as I move through this life.
1. Nature is medicine. Go outside every day.
2. Joy lives in the ordinary and it makes life extraordinary.
3. Being sensitive is a superpower.
4. The rush to get somewhere often makes us miss the view. Slow down, be present.
5. There’s nothing wrong with you. Allow yourself to be fully you.
6. You can change your mind as many times as you want.
7. Enjoying being alone is one of the greatest freedoms.
8. Your body is your home and your vehicle. Nurture it, move it.
9. It’s okay not to be okay.
10. Creativity is not optional, it’s a necessity.
11. Be grateful. The more you want, the less you feel you have.
12. Most people are too busy thinking about themselves to judge you.
13. Life feels empty without goals.
14. We need people to share our life with.
15. Your intuition is wiser than your mind.
16. Rest is as important as action.
17. Boundaries honour your energy. You’re allowed to say no.
18. What you give comes back to you.
19. Listening to your body can keep you from getting sick.
20. Feeling lost is part of the journey. Embrace uncertainty.
21. Dreams are possible if you believe and work for them.
22. You can only be brave if you act despite fear.
23. Don’t be ashamed to ask for help.
24. Your thoughts shape your reality.
25. Tell people you love them. Show them too.
26. Discipline matters. Perseverance and patience are skills you can learn.
27. You don’t need permission to make choices.
28. You don’t have to be extraordinary to live a meaningful life.
29. We are all students and masters.
30. You’re capable of more than you think.
31. Life is a game. Don’t take it too seriously.
Final Thoughts
I don’t have life figured out. No one does.
But I’m learning to carry less and notice more.
To walk lightly. To love bravely.
To let the seasons shape me.
To be here, fully.
Even when life becomes uncomfortable.
Especially then.
Here’s to the next turn around the sun.
And to all of us, still finding our way.
