Last September, when I turned 25, I wrote a post called, '25 things I unapologetically don't give a fuck about now I'm 25’. And it felt good. It felt so good to write down all the relatively popular things I’ve felt pressured and shamed into liking but, in actuality, do not give even a tiny smidge of a fuck about.
However.
Now I’m nearer to 26, and thought it time to flip the list on its head. There are lots of things I give a fuck about that lots of people don’t. There are things I spend a heck of a lot of time, money and thought in, that others would think utterly ridiculous and pointless.
But you should be bold and confident with the things you love, no matter what others think. It’s great to love things, it’s great to be different. You do you. There’s nothing more joyous than seeing someone so keen about something they love, even if you don’t have a clue what they’re on about…
I spread my fucks deeply and liberally for the following:
1 - parkrun. Is it a cult? Probably. parkrun is wholesome, accessible, warm, addictive, self-aware, and progressive. I love challenging myself with my 5k time, but I adore parkrun tourism. I love seeing how other parkruns run, I love visiting parts of London I otherwise wouldn’t have, and I love ticking boxes. Do I have colour-coded parkrun lists? Absolutely. Am I doing the alphabet challenge? Correct. Did I plan our big summer Canada trip around which parkruns we could do? Duh.
2. Eating mince pies at the right time. December only. Fin.
3 - Meal planning and food shopping. Obsessed. I love clearing a fridge, using leftovers, freezing meals, doing a weekly food shop at Aldi/Asda and seeing how cheap I can get it. Sure, intuitive eating and waiting to see what you fancy day-to-day is great, but I love not thinking about it and I want to buy a house, so. Girl gotta be savvy.
4 - Flash Dog advert. Only the first one. I have no feelings towards the second and mourn the original.
5 - Buses. I’d rather travel on London buses for two hours than tubes/trains for 20 minutes. If I’ve got the time, I’ll do it. Looking out of gross, smeared, dirty windows to the expensive, messy, problematic city of London is essential for my mental health.
6 - Teen Mum YouTubers. And don’t get me started on baby name videos. If you want to keep me quiet, stick one video on and I’ll get lost deep in a YouTube black hole for hours. Nay, days. They keep me sated until a new series of Teen Mom UK on MTV starts.
7 - Flightradar24 app. I’m a nerd. I love planes. My flight tracking tendencies used to be limited to watching my auntie’s plane go to and from Canada when she visited, but when Flightradar24 brought out an app? Game changer. If I see a plane in the skies, I’m going to find out where it’s been and where it’s going. I spent more time tracking the RAF100 flypast last summer than actually watching the RAF100 flypast last summer.
8 - Happy Feet. A glorious film.
9 - Coriander. I’d have it on toast.
10 - Birthday cards. I will spend more time and money on the perfect birthday card than a present. It pains me if I can’t get an appropriate one, and a simple ‘Happy Birthday!’ inside will never do. Pour your heart out, you selfish bastard. Personalise that card like it’s your dying declaration.
11 - Holiday magnets. There were so many magnet options in Budapest that I became very overwhelmed and cried. I have to get two magnets from every holiday, one for my nan and one for me. And they have to be the right ones. I will drag you around a city until your blisters have blisters until I find the right magnets. They have to be properly 3D, handmade, made of clay, and be a bit shit. Sloppy painting, bright colours, cringe. Y’know the kind.
12 - Maps. I’ve got a world scratch map, and every week I’ll study it like I’ve never seen the fucker before in my life. I’m obsessed. I will spend hundreds of pounds just to scratch a new country off - they’ve got me good. But it’s true with any map. When I was a kid and we went on long car journeys, I’d have my dad’s massive map book and track our journey. For no reason other than it felt therapeutic.
13 - Oversharing. I'm a chronic oversharer and a strong advocate for not being ashamed about talking about periods, sex, mental health, feelings, and poo. I have a groupchat purely for dramatic poo stories. Yes it's called 'Groupshat'.
14 - Paid online surveys. I started doing these to earn more money when I was working part-time and freelancing, but I’ve carried some of them on. I just love clearing them from my Inbox and ticking boxes to earn £1.20. What ya gonna do.
15 - Buffets. Specifically my nan’s, mum’s, and European hotels’. I’d rather a non-fancy buffet over a meal any day. Give me plastic cheese, unlabelled Indian snacks, cold pizza, and a fuckload of crusty bread. I don’t want anything to match and I want to feel very unwell afterwards.
16 - Cross-stitching. I’m a woman with little patience, apart from when it comes to cross-stitching. Have you had a baby? You’re getting a cross-stitch that’s slightly wonky, very creased, and in a cheap frame. And you will like it.
17 - Lists. Case in point.
18 - Premium Bonds. I know full well I’ll never win big, but that misguided hope at the beginning of every month keeps me alive.
19 - Anthony Nolan. If you’re 16-30 and I haven’t messaged you asking if you’re on the Anthony Nolan stem cell register... your time is coming.
20 - Disaster movies. Ones that are a good blend of ridiculous and terrifying. Prime example: The Core. It had me cackling at the dead pigeons falling from the sky in the beginning, then shitting myself in the last 20 minutes as they were trying to escape the literal core of the Earth.
21 - Using wet wipes right. Wet wipe first, tissue second. I’m in the minority with this one and I don’t get it. Why would you willingly have a damp bum? Are you ok?
22 - Chicken carcasses. Best part of a roast. I’ll pick it dry.
23 - Dying on the IT’S BELATED HAPPY BIRTHDAY hill. The birthday isn’t belated, your late ass birthday wishes are.
24 - Birdworld. Fully obsessed. Ryan adopted a toucan at Birdworld for me for my birthday. The toucan is mine now.
25 - Blogging. Nearly 10 years later, I’m not ready to give up my corner of the internet.
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