Trying New Things

Feeling bored by sheltering in place?

Try new things!

What are some of the benefits of trying new things?

• You become a more interesting person. Conversations become more interesting because you have more things to talk about.

• The way you spend your time becomes more meaningful.

• You will gain a sense of accomplishment and confidence. You will come to believe that you can do anything, and you can!

• Your sense of adventure grows.

• You learn to overcome your fears, however small they are.

• You learn more about yourself—what you like and don’t like, your personality, what you value, and what makes you tick.

• It increases your creativity and brainpower. It expands our minds and helps us look at the world in different ways. It can give you a fresh perspective.

• By switching things up, you become more motivated and inspired. In addition, you motivate and inspire others.

• You can make new friends by meeting different groups of people.

One year it was my New Year’s resolution to try something new every week, and I had such an enriching and fun year, that I decided to keep doing it the next year. After two years of doing it, it became a way of life.

What are some things you can do? Here are some things I have tried and loved:

• I tried a new food on Day One of my New Year’s resolution, Burmese food. It is delicious! Wow! Try lahpet thoke (tea leaf salad). The same day, I walked across the Golden Gate Bridge, something I had always wanted to do.

• I created my own ten-day dance marathon where I participated in dance events every day, travelling from Marin to Big Sur to the Monterey Bay to Jenner to Sebastapol to Nicasio.

• I tried a new sport, e-biking, on a summer vacation and bought a bike when I returned to Marin. Now I ride it every day for exercise, seeing beautiful views, and getting fresh air.

• Over the February break, I traveled solo to Cuba. I saw amazing sites, tried a new cuisine, heard great music, saw great dance, rode in a colorful car, and walked all over Havana.

• Earlier this year I went to a sound healing concert at a center in Sausalito. It was so refreshing and soothing!

• Last weekend I did a zoom comedy improv class. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.

• I went to a MOTH storytelling grand slam performance. It turned out that I knew two of the finalists!

• I went to a poetry conference with one of my favorite poets, David Whyte.

• My kids and I went to an escape room together, and we loved it. Now we are going to do an online escape room together.

• I went to a writer’s workshop on an island.

• I taught myself to knit.

• I rode in a cycling century.

Be a “yes person.” When someone asks you to try something new, take a chance and try it, as long as it is a healthy and safe choice. I am fond of saying that we are only limited by our own imaginations. I suggest that you make a list of things you have an interest in and have never done. Then start doing them. It is that easy! Have some fun in this life we have been given. If you need some ideas, send me an email. I have a million of them!

Have fun trying new things, and let me know you did it.

Just for fun, check out this silly site with animal photos.