On the eve of my birthday this year, I made a decision - this year was going to be different. This year, I left last year's crap behind, in the past, where it belonged (including old patterns, old hurts and fears, old ways of thinking and in some cases, old relationships that do not help support the future that I am traveling). I didn't need to carry it anymore.
I would focus on new paths, new ways of thinking about things, new ways of seeing the world, new ways of relating and connecting with the people I love. To help anchor this, I threw this challenge out to myself: "Self," I said, "I DARE you to experience something new, each day, every day. Learn from it. Grow. Change. Become better. See where you land in a year. Do it!" My intuition nudged my uncertain rational mind.... "it could be ....liberating....you should give it a shot...stick your toe in the water, just to see"
And so I did...literally. New Experience #1: Outdoor hot tub in 30 degree weather with snowflakes on the lounge chairs around me! HOLY cow, was it cold! At first you couldn't tell if the mist in the air was steam from the water or your breath from the cold but it didn't matter....the water was deliciously warm and the air was electrifyingly cold. It was glorious! It was magical! I now totally get the the whole, "let's sit in the hot tub with champagne bottles chilling in the snow behind our heads" concept. Note to self: Add New Planned Experience N+1 to list: Ouray, CO vapor caves...but that's a topic for a future post. I liked it so much I did it, twice, though it was MUCH colder in the evening when the sun had already gone down and there were a few snow flakes flying around in the air. Most importantly, it was liberating because I surprised myself - the old me would never have done that. Who knew, the new me would relish in it? It gave me a new way to see myself and think about things and that was the whole point.
I realized, as I awoke on my birthday, that I had a new experience to look forward to that day, and each day. Nothing would be boring or stagnant or routine again - and I had control over that. I could keep my life as interesting, enriching and rewarding as I wanted it to be with my choices - duh. I'd guaranteed a way to shake it up and keep things interesting. Keep myself interesting.
Yesterday's adventure was exploring places in Jerome, AZ, I'd never been before. I had an opportunity to go into the Holy Family Catholic Church, built in 1898. It was simultaneously simple, and ornate. The altar statues were amazing for this small little structure. There was definitely a sense of the sacred. The windows overlooked the same views of the distant valley and Jerome's mine pits just as they must have done 100 years ago. I was in awe. I saw something I'd never seen before. I'd felt something I'd never felt before. It gave me something new to think about, wonder about, dream about.
Every day may not be an exercise in extreme temperatures or an encounter with history. It may just be a new restaurant I've never tried, a new dish in an old, favorite restaurant, or just a new way of seeing and appreciating someone that I've known for a long time. Regardless, my goal this year is not to take anything for granted, to have as many adventures as possible and to see something new and interesting in each day.
Won't you join me in the challenge? Let's compare notes and see what new, wonderous things we've learned on our respective paths at the end of 365 days..... let's get liberated from old ways of thinking! I dare you!
I'm going to do my best with this concept too!
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