My birthday was on March 1 and I experienced something almost every girl waits for. I’m a teenager! I have tons of things on my bucket list to do now that I am 13. Some of these things you won’t find on a normal girl’s wish list. Here are some of the things I can’t wait to do this year.
Arts and Crafts Projects
I got a resin art kit for Christmas that I want to make soon. I know I must learn how to use it before trying to create something. Another thing that I got for Christmas was a diamond art kit. Unlike my resin kit, it’s very easy to do and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It’s one of my new favorite things to do. I started doing the bookmark kit, but now that I am 13 years old, I want to finish a whole painting. Since the bookmark version took me about three weeks to finish one bookmark out of four, one of my long-term goals is to finish a diamond art poster.
Video Games
During quarantine, my brother and I have been playing video games together. I’ve gotten really good at Super Mario Bros. One of my goals is to beat the game. My brother has many different Mario games and I plan to beat them all!
Baking
I absolutely love baking and one of the things I want to bake are cake pops. I’m definitely going to make more yummy treats in the future but this is the main dessert on my “to bake” list. They are really easy to make and they look really cute. Now that I have my Quantum Edge 3 Power Wheelchair with iLevel® technology, baking is so much easier because I can elevate my power wheelchair seat 12 inches, roll right up to the counter and mix away!
Vlogging
One thing that I’ve been wanting to do for the longest time is vlogging (video blog). It’s taken me some time, however, to build the confidence to start making videos. Now that I am 13, I’m going to start vlogging about my life so that I can share my experiences with the rest of the world.
Grow Out My Hair
After my surgery last March, I lost a lot of hair and I was devastated. I had to cut my hair really short for it to grow back. Just like any “girlie” girl, I love long hair. Now that I am 13, I want to grow my hair out as much as I can. Hopefully, by summer it will be nice and long!
Work with Horses
Speaking of summer, my favorite animals are horses. A couple of summers ago, I went to a horse riding camp where I rode, groomed and fed horses. I helped take care of them and did all sorts of other fun things. It was one of the best summers I had. Once it’s safe to be outdoors again, I want to volunteer at a farm where there are horses.
Go to the Mall
I know the pandemic has stopped us from being able to do a lot of things. One thing that I’ve been waiting almost my whole life to do is to go to the mall with my best friends without my parents. Thanks to COVID-19, that might be a little bit harder now. I’m not giving up just yet though. As soon as the pandemic is over, I’m going to go on a huge shopping spree using my saved birthday money with my friends.
I am incredibly grateful because many kids with my disability don’t get to live long enough to experience turning 13. I want to make the most of my life and turning 13 is just the beginning!
About Sakina Shamsi: Sakina lives in New Jersey with her parents and brother. Although she has spinal muscular atrophy type II, Sakina lives a full and independent lifestyle. She is active in the disability community and enjoys horseback riding, baking and crafting. Click here to learn more about Sakina.