What is Something You're Looking Forward To?

[Sam W]

The world can feel like a raging dumpster fire these days, and that feeling can often make it hard to imagine a future that is anything other than a dumpster fire. With that in mind, I wanted to make a space where we can share the things that we're excited about in our futures, because those things can be so crucial to helping us move forward when the world feels overwhelming. Your examples may be big things or small things, or something in-between. Mine are:

-Halloween
-The fall bird migration that happens where I live
-The chance to start my first full-sized garden in the spring.

How about y'all?

[Mo]

I've been struggling with this myself lately; I'm having a hard time envisioning much of a future at all so it's hard to look or plan ahead in any way. But! Some good things are coming up for me:

A close friend's getting married in two weeks and I'm looking forward to traveling for that, and meeting their partner in person for the first time.
I have an upcoming class (the kind that involves tasting the things you're learning about!) with a partner for their birthday and that should be a lot of fun.
In the very short term, tomorrow I'm going to hang out with a friend I haven't seen in a few months!

[thewrit3r]

Some of my friends invited me to hang out at a restaurant this weekend, they’re going to get all dressed up just for fun also one of the clubs on campus is throwing a Halloween party later this month which I’m super excited about

[cityofthedead]

Nothing.

[Heather]

- Halloween. For the second year in a row (VICTORY IS MINE!), I have managed to get my partner to come on board with a family costume so it's not just me and the dogs. We're going all in with classic Universal monsters this year. I just need to figure out how to give my dog Dracula hair safely. I'm thinking mascara is probably the ticket.

- The kind-of changing fall colors. I'm from the east coast and midwest, so the color changing that happens here in the PNW is not the kind of dramatic show I am used to, but it's still pretty and I still like it.

- Wood stove fires. I'd have them all year long, were it not for sane people who don't like sweating to death. But the time when others agree to have them is upon us.

- Getting back to the youth shelter outreach work I did for around a decade, but had to leave due to issues with the venue and my disability. I have meetings to start back up somewhere new soon and I'm stoked.

- Being more caught up with everything. I had illness and injury that had me immobilized for close to a year and in chronic pain for years before. The surgery I had this last spring took and made a huge difference, so while it's daunting to have so much to catch up with and try to get in front of, I do think I will soon be making some actual headway, which I'm really happy about. I hatehatehate being behind.

- Recovering more and more. There will come a day in the next year or so where I can get back to learning to run, not just walk or hike, the trails here. I was so getting there when my body just broke, but I am slowly starting again and now that I'm bionic, I will likely be able to get further with it in the future than I could have before.

[Arasia]

I'm definitely looking forward to Halloween. Also, Thanksgiving Break!

In the longer term, I'm looking forward to marrying my boyfriend. I've got to graduate before that becomes realistic. We have decided not to engage in any kind of sexual activity until after marriage. That being said, we talk about the things we'd like to try together and the things we find arousing. I've kept a mental list of what he's told me--I'm really looking forward to when I'll be able to use it to give him pleasure.

[Alice O]

- When I finish my Scarleteen shift tonight, I am going to do some collaging. I have started a spirituality notebook (using the term "spirituality" quite broadly here) where I collage in quotes and poems and images, and I'm going to do that before bed.

- I work at a preschool, and this year I am with younger kids--2 year olds. That means work is a lot of getting on the floor and playing. My first year teaching I sometimes found it boring, and my second year I really struggled with my energy. But now I am working hours that work for my body, and as I've learned more about development & children, and gotten more in touch with my own playfulness, I find the work so engaging. So I'm looking forward to playing with my kids tomorrow

- I used to do a therapy session once a week for 45 minutes, but now I do it every other week for 1.5 hours and that is working great for me. I am looking forward to my session next week!

- There is a book I'm looking forward to reading, a movie I'm looking forward to seeing in theaters, and two new seasons of TV shows that I'm looking forward to watching.

Sam thank you so much for this thread, and everybody else thank you so much for posting! Really made my day to read

[Siân]

This is a lovely thread Sam

The long-term future seems pretty big and scary right now. I moved abroad over summer and have some short- medium-term things to look forward to related to that, in approximate chronological order:

- phoning a good friend this afternoon: we bring out what is best in eachother
- seeing my partner later: we have different first languages and are reading each other our favourite books in our own mother tongues
- a date with my flatmates: we have discovered a shared love for/competitiveness over card games
- a visit from my best friend: 4 months without her is too long
- a visit from my parents: I want to share my new life with the people I love
- a trip home: it will be raining, and there will be log fires, and it will be good to know all is still there

[Atonement]

- Day shift!- I've been working nights since May. Being a morning person, this has been difficult for me. But, in one week I get to rejoin the living!
-The annual thanksgiving that I have with some of my closest friends who I don't get to see very often.
-The christmas season- I was too busy to really get into the holidays last year, so I fully intend to make up for it this year. I can't wait to get all my decorations out!

[capablehippie]

- performing in the school musical
- singing auditions
- Thanksgiving

I really like holidays, so I feel like fall is so dense with things to celebrate.

[bikinksterboy]

-Chanukah. it's one of the few Jewish holidays my family celebrates and it's nice to come together just with my immediate family
-my sibling's birthday in January
-thanksgiving. FOOD! oh and also extended family coming together
-my lovely boyfriend's birthday this month
-the premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi!!

[Ruby S]

I love this post !!!! :')
- Reuniting with my partner tomorrow and his beautiful dogs and opening presents together!
- Starting winter quarter at my school - I'm really excited about the classes I'll be taking and the new things I'll be learning.
- listening to a new episode of a tarot podcast I really like!
- Starting a new planner in 2018 :0
- Finishing the book I'm reading! I haven't actually finished a whole book in some months and I want that sweet sweet accomplishment

[bikinksterboy]

meeting my boyfriend in July~ so excited!!!

[Chloé]

Great thread Sam, thanks for bringing it back to the top of the pile of threads BiKinksterBoy.

- I'm looking forward to working more and more with Scarleteen, and with engaging with these topics more generally as I learn.

- I'm looking forward to the "birthday show" of the place where I do Improv (Inprovisational Comedy), and to my class (Improv) shows, and to the Improv I will be doing over the summer

- I'm looking forward to exploring the rest of the area near where I've just moved

- I'm looking forward to my sibling coming home and getting to see them for the first time in a while

- I'm looking forward to a summer when I will have the right mix of work and free time

What is something that are you looking forward to?

[bikinksterboy]

-halloween again! 80s horror marathon with bf and binge-watching Castlevania season 2~
-BF's birthday<3 he's so much to me and I finally get to give him a proper gift this time!
-Shazam! looks like a great movie
-Rosh Hashanah celebrations with family

[Laima]

-Going to the beach with my brother and our friend

-Starting my salsa lessons again (and potentially trying swing lessons)

-Going to the feast of San Gennaro in September

-Getting the T-shirt I bought off of Redbubble

-Halloween!

(๑╹ω╹๑ )

[Chipper]

Travel to Europe for the first time in November
Halloween! (not a surprise lol)
Start my first term paper and complete this college year with good grades

[Alice O]

Posted in this thread October of last year, but feels equally relevant now. Glad it's still going

- I am currently visiting the college that I went to. There are open lap swim hours in their huge (and deep!) pool and often it's pretty empty. I'm used to swimming laps in a small (shallow) pool with like 300 other people in the city I live in. I'm heading to the college pool soon and am really excited for that--it's always been great for both my physical and mental health.

- I've made a bunch of social plans for the next month or so--dinners, parties, dates etc. That'll be nice

- I am working on a Panicky Girl's Survival Guide, kind of like a zine. I'll be finishing the last few steps next week and I can't wait. I love collaging.

- I am figuring out how to get tapped in to political organizing--some climate organizing, some organizing around the current shitty events in America. Looking forward to being more active and using my power/voice.

- I recently learned how to use make-up, which I'd wanted to know how to do for awhile. I've been looking for trying it out each morning

What about everyone else?

[Mo]

I have two exciting trips coming up: one in a few weeks to visit my partner on the east coast and go to a sheep/fiber festival together, and one to travel to New Orleans in November to watch a roller derby tournament! I'm really looking forward to both.

[biandcurious]

this is so sweet! Glad I'm finally taking a chance to browse through these forums.

-I'm involved in a really great tabletop rpg campaign (a few actually) and I can't wait to play again this week.

-being able to wear layers now that it's cooler out! Yay to big sweaters and jackets and scarves.

-I have my second session of group therapy tomorrow! It was really nice last week and I'm always excited to learn something new about myself and others.

[bikinksterboy]

(boyfriend is girlfriend now)
currently the big hype thing for me is the concert I'm going to in a few days! small club venue, vax requirement. I'm gonna be seeing The Protomen live and it's so amazing! listened to every single track of theirs and they are just so perfect and it'll be my second live concert ever

[Mo]

It's nice to revisit this thread several years after the last time I posted it! Right now I'm looking forward to a vacation with a friend next week; we're going to stay in a little cabin for a few days up in redwood country. I'm also looking forward to getting a spinning wheel! I ordered it several weeks ago but supply chain issues mean it's been delayed in arriving. Still, I know it's coming eventually, and I'm excited about getting it set up once it's here.