Although I have never had a cup of coffee in my life, I found myself feeling contemplative on National Coffee Day, which fell on Sept. 29 this year.

My life is devoid of coffee, but I have at least tried it.

Maybe it was the taste; maybe it was the lukewarm consistency of the coffee my mother shoved into my hands the day of my first final of high school, but I took a sip and spat it back out into the sink. That experience turned me off coffee, probably for good.

Seeing an entire day dedicated to such a pungent first experience, I remembered that I had made a list of “first”s, — a bucket-list, of sorts that I wanted to get done by the time I was out of high school.

I dug through an old pile of junk in my bedroom, and lo and behold, I found the dusty notebook containing the list. I thought of checking off some of the goals and seeing what kind of progress I’ve made since then.

Drive a car.

I like how low I set the bar from the start. My goal wasn’t to get a permit or license, but just to drive a car. I guess I knew myself pretty well back then, future failed driving tests and all. (I do have my license now, though.)

Learn to cook.

The only things I know how to make are eggs and the Chinese equivalent of parathas. Two weeks ago, I burned the parathas. Yikes.

Make new friends.

Interesting, since 75 percent of my core friend group is made up of the same people I have known since kindergarten. Still, the staggering amount of people that I have met and befriended in all would make the fifth grade me faint. I have no regrets on this one, but I won’t cross it off, because the more the merrier, right?

I’ve managed to cross off a considerable part of the list, but that also leaves a whole host of childhood goals to consider. I have my work cut out for me this senior year.

But I still won’t do coffee. That stuff’s gross.

This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on Oct. 16, 2015.