So I did. Last week I took this 'feeling-every-bit-of-over-40' body down the ski slopes for the first time in a while, and I have to admit I said a little 'thank you God' when I made it down. Once I got my confidence back, I began to focus on the beauty of a wintry snowfall and the joy that playing outside with friends still brings. It just seems to get sweeter with age to brave the elements and the hillside and have a blast doing so.
It wasn't until a bit later in life that I learned to ski. Me ski? You mean go down a steep, snowy hill standing up? Are you kidding me? At 35, I thought I was way too old to learn something so daring. Thankfully my son, and later my friends, assured me I could -- and what a boost to the old self-esteem to conquer something you never thought you could.....or would.
Life has taught me that the best prescription for cabin fever, mid-life fever, stuck-in-a-rut fever -- or whatever else you want to call it -- is to get started on doing something new, something that's a bit of a stretch, something you may have never seen yourself being able to accomplish. There's a beautiful boost that comes from being bold and brave and open to new possibilities -- and then going for it.
Achievement and accomplishment is often as simple as just getting started -- so many times, that is the hardest part. We think and worry and plan and analyze -- until it stops us in our tracks and prevents us from doing it. Before you know it, we look back and say coulda, woulda, shoulda, meant to ........ but didn't.
After all, what if I fail? Fugheddaboudit. Fear of failure is one of the most crippling mindsets there is. I've certainly learned this on my own and by observing the lives of others. Sure, everything you try may not work out the way you dreamed it -- but oh the power and confidence and joy that comes from the attempt! As a grown woman, I also once tried figure skating.......I so wanted to skate like Dorothy Hamill. (After all, we did once share the same hairstyle.) So I got started with lessons and after the fourth time falling hard on the ice, decided it wasn't meant to be for me......but oh the laughs I still get from remembering the experience!
Learning doesn't end with high school or college. New joys and hobbies and renewal can be found in our middle-age and retirement years as easily as we found them in our teens and twenties. Oprah Winfrey was reminded of this by Jerry Seinfeld. Following an interview with Seinfeld some years ago, she found herself complaining to him about the end of summer and the need for some time for herself before going back to the confinement of her television schedule. Jerry reminded her, “It’s yours to design, Oprah," -- an 'aha' moment that led to the decision to end her show. Yes, even Oprah relies on the wisdom of friends to remind her that she alone holds the power to try something new.
The level of joy, energy, passion, fun, or engagement we have in this life of ours is up to us. "It's ours to design." We just simply need to get started.
-- Cindy
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