Permit Yourself to Pause

This article was originally published on Thrive Global on April30, 2021 after taking a short pause from writing.

“A pause is an opening, it acts as a portal to other options and choices.”- Robert Poyton

Before the Pandemic of 2020,  many of us were conditioned to always “do”, but what if you permitted yourself to pause? What if we could become more productive by taking time to pause and recharge ourselves? Hitting the pause button can be a powerful step to turn inward, and reflect on all that you’ve already accomplished. Permission to have smaller goals, maybe some that nobody else will see. Creating space for yourself to appreciate all the abundance you already have, instead of constantly striving to do more. 

The Harvard Business Review states, “resilience requires working hard, but it also requires one to stop, recover, and then begin the hard work again.” The harder you work, the longer the recovery period you need. Athletes can attest to this. If we think about our pre-pandemic lifestyles, we were going at life pretty hard. It seems natural that pressing pause on that way of life during the pandemic would help us recover. Or at least make us re-evaluate our work and non-work activities and how we’re using our human energy.

In April, I  experimented with hitting the pause button. With spring’s arrival, I wanted to slowly emerge from the hibernation of winter. I love spring because of its warmer days and cooler evenings. The sunlight glows longer while flowers burst with color after the darkness of winter. What a perfect time to pause, take in the beauty of the new season with gratitude and hope. There’s something about spring that highlights possibilities ahead. 

Here’s what happened when I permitted myself to pause. After mostly staying home for a year through the pandemic we decided it was time to safely get a change of scenery, and go out of town for Spring Break. I was ready for a break from teaching virtual school, and the monotony of the same walls. My daughter was ready to see her grandmother and the beach again. My husband and I both were ready to hit the pause button on our daily parenting responsibilities and Grandma was eager to spoil our girl a bit. A road trip to visit my mother-in-law was a win-win for everyone. I packed books and committed to using my phone solely for listening to music and calling to check in on my dad. I committed to setting the out-of-office reply the entire week to stay out of my Inbox. I also chose to take a break from creating content and writing. Normally we find ourselves snapping lots of pictures, but this time, I even paused that! It was a blissful and intentional time that I permitted myself to pause, and be FULLY present.

As an educator, I have breaks naturally built into my calendar every year, but even if you don’t have those attached to a kid’s school schedule, it’s just as important to schedule and take time off.  Pressing pause gives you time to reflect and recharge. When our energy is low, taking in the sights, sounds, smells, and simple pleasures of a new season might be what we need instead of adding to our calendar or to-do list. This is a gift we can give ourselves more often. In our hyper-connected world, it seems impossible sometimes, but we must do it. 

Now that April and my experiment with the pause button are coming to an official end, I don’t intend to go back to constantly being on the go. My head is more clear, my “to do” list is shorter and more intentional. The white space on my calendar doesn’t make me want to plan something else to do. This is a new normal I’m happily embracing.   It’s empowering and refreshing. The pause is a gift you can give yourself.

I hope that as you begin to safely return to some of your “normal” lifestyles, you’re inspired to find ways to hit the pause button more often than you did pre-pandemic. We have this option. We get to make this choice. We are worth it.

Gifts for Yourself or a Girlfriend

Throughout history or herstory, women have been the big givers. We give our time, our energy to everyone else. This current Women’s Movement or Women’s Empowerment is more about giving ourselves what we need, before giving it all away to others. We can no longer feel guilty for putting ourselves first. You must fill your cup to continue giving to others. As the airlines say, Put on your own oxygen mask first. When giving, we must not forget to give to ourselves.  

It’s only been recent that I’ve embraced this notion of giving myself the same nice gifts I might pick out and give to my best girlfriends. My mom and sister taught me this lesson, and here are some AMAZING women-owned products I want to share with you. If you are feeling generous with yourself or others, I encourage you to check them out. They make great gifts.

Auri La Home & Beauty Cashmere Plum candle.

I haven’t bought candles in a while until my sister told me about these from Auri La Home & Beauty. They are 100% soy, hand poured into these beautiful little containers that make you feel more luxurious as you strike a match and set them aflame. My new nightly ritual is to light my candle from Auri La Home & Beauty while I wind down at the end of the day. I’m currently burning Cashmere Plum, however, all of the scents are amazing. Go see them for yourself at aurilahomebeauty.com or on Instagram @Aurilahomebeauty. Act fast though because they sell out often! 

I have never been a big beauty product gal. Do you know the kind that tries and buys the latest beauty trend? I do believe in taking good care of my skin though, and Dzialo Skincare makes it easy. Based in Portland, Oregon Dzialo Skincare offers European facials and pure products that can make you feel like you’re giving yourself a spa experience at home. Her products are natural and make you feel luxurious without making you feel like you’re breaking the bank. Even better is Sharon’s friendly customer service. She is quick to fill and ship your order if you’re not in Portland. Sharon Dzialo offers a great way to try a Sample Set for a nominal shipping cost only. You can check out all of her products at  Dzialo Skincare. These are a gift you can give yourself for beautiful, radiant skin or gift a body lotion to a friend.

When I shop, I really like to touch and feel the clothes before I buy them. I guess I’m a sensory shopper. This past year while I haven’t needed to shop much, I have cleaned out my closet a few times and tried to invest in timeless pieces that I can wear for work or casually. This next women-owned company is my new go-to when I want to splurge on a new piece of clothing. Frank and Eileen Clothing.  Have you heard of them? Have you tried their clothes? Once you do you will be hooked! They are a certified women-owned B corporation, that is making beautiful clothes while giving back and using sustainable business practices. You have to feel the fabrics to really appreciate how beautiful these clothes are. These are definitely a splurge for this educator’s salary, even on sale-priced items, but they are SO worth it. You are SO worthy of clothes that feel like this.

While these are only a few of the amazing women-owned businesses that I’ve found, I believe there are so many more. Comment on this post if you own or know of a woman-owned business. Giving ourselves these gifts is another form of self-care. I believe that as women we are better together and we can change the world into a kinder, more compassionate place.

Remember that sharing is caring, so if you know someone who would enjoy this content, pass it along!

-Kristen

Meet Emily Madill

Emily Madill

Do you ever feel like you could use a little mid-week pep talk? Emily Madill’s Weekly Happiness note is exactly that! If you feel like you could use a dose of happiness and positivity once a week, I encourage you to head over to www.emilymadill.com and sign up to receive her FREE Weekly Happiness Note. You are sure to find more little gems of positivity and tips for living the life you want from Emily. She is an author and certified professional coach. She is also a runner, yogi, and mom of 2 busy boys. And she’s an Editor at Large for Thrive Global. I met Emily after I purchased her book, Fall in Love With Your Life, a Seasonal Planner at the onset of 2021.  It is an undated planner that uses a circular model of the hours in your day, rather than a linear model. It’s a different perspective, and allows you to see how you’re spending all of your time in one day in a way that you can visually see where your time is out of balance. I love how you can be creative and fill in the wheel with colors or whatever you want. If you are a busy woman who feels like the traditional, linear model of time isn’t working for you, you NEED this planner! It truly is a gift to help you overcome the feelings of overwhelm when it comes to balancing your time. I didn’t know how I was packing in my planner each week was causing me to be out of balance until I got this planner and started planning my days with the circular model. GAME CHANGER LADIES! 

Emily also offers a few free e-courses, however I highly recommend her paid course, Fall in Love with your Life Weekly Planning Sessions.  I joined the winter course and it has been a weekly time of inspiration with seven other women. During the weekly planning sessions you will reflect on your week, set your intention for the week ahead, and celebrate big and small wins with each other.  It’s an investment in yourself and women’s empowerment at its best! 

I am currently working with Emily through her coaching as well. (I’m sure there will be a post about that later.)

I encourage you to check out some of the amazing and inspiring work of Emily at www.emilymadill.com or you can find her on Instagram @emilymadill.

Come back next week to learn about some other wonderful women owned businesses and the products they offer.

~Kristen

Women Empowering Women

As women, we’ve come a long way. My hope is that we continue to make progress and lift one another up as we move forward. We are better together and when we share our stories, our dreams, and celebrate our success together, the sky is the limit.

When I recently published my first article on Thrive Global about creating a self care practice, I had a list of women I wanted to call and share my big news with, partly because I knew they’d celebrate with me, but also because they helped me reach this goal. These women I’m highlighting and celebrating this month have been my coaches, my cheerleaders, my friends, and all-around Wonder Women who are empowering other women in the work they do every day.  This week I introduce you to two of my yoga teachers. These women have helped me create and sustain a consistent yoga practice along with many other teachings about self-care. If you are looking to incorporate more body/mind/spirit wellness into your life, I encourage you to check them out!

Meet Renee Gauthier

Renee Gauthier

Renee and I have been friends since the 4th grade. Technically. There were some years after high school and college that our paths went in different directions, but we’ve always been able to pick up where we left off. About 5 years ago we started to connect more regularly. She is one of the bright lights in my life. Renee is one of the most beautiful humans I’ve ever known. She has an infectious smile and a sense of playfulness and fun that reminds you to “lighten up”. 

Renee is a wellness educator, yoga teacher, and girl mom. She offers online classes and workshops for implementing a wellness lifestyle with essential oils. When the pandemic hit in the spring of 2020, Renee quickly shifted her yoga classes from studios all over the San Diego area to offering virtual yoga classes via Zoom throughout the week. Her yoga classes include aromatherapy and guided meditations. Don’t just take my word for it, try one of her yoga classes, reach out to her for your essential oil needs, or book her for a private yoga session, virtually. You can learn more about how Renee can help you reach your wellness goals at www.reneegauthier.com, or on Instagram @renee_gauthier.

 Meet Ashli Winter

Ashli Winter

Ashli and I met a few years ago when I began my self-care journey. I stumbled upon yoga classes at her yoga studio, Pure Bliss in Lake Wylie.  Ashli is warm and welcoming immediately upon walking into the studio. She created Pure Bliss, a boutique yoga studio, that welcomes everyone. Whether you are a beginning yogi like I was at the time or an experienced yogi, she offers classes for all levels. It’s evident that Ashli and her small staff of instructors care about people as they go out of their way to connect with yogis before and after class.  At Pure Bliss, instructors honor your time on the mat by placing emphasis on “it’s your practice”. In her yoga classes, meditation, and vision board workshops, Ashli wants to empower women to be their best selves. She creates an encouraging environment while teaching her students about the importance and necessity of creating a self-care practice. If you’re in the Lake Wylie area and ready to get back into a live yoga studio, check out the class schedule and workshop offerings at Pure Bliss or find them on Instagram @pureblisslkw.

Come back next week to meet another amazing woman.

-Kristen

Honoring Yourself

When was the last time you thought about honoring yourself? Maybe you do it often, or maybe you stumbled across this post and are just beginning to ask yourself these questions: How’s your self-care practice? Have you set aside time for yourself lately? What foods are you feeding yourself? Are you incorporating movement into each day? How are you sleeping? What’s one thing you do each day that brings you joy and calm?

I’m the first to admit that I don’t always tend to myself as well as I tend to others. I’ve improved over the years, and it’s a constant practice. I know that I need to, so I often schedule check-ins with myself, and that’s when I hit the reset button. For example, it’s been a pretty busy few months. In January our family was hit with Covid, mildly, but we were all at home, juggling my daughter’s online school since she couldn’t go in person, while my husband and I tried to keep our work going smoothly. Then while resting at home with Covid, I wanted to get out so badly that I scheduled two-weekend trips. Back to back, when my third quarter report cards were due! One trip was for me with girlfriends to celebrate my birthday, and the other trip was for our family. Not bad, but definitely ramped our weekends up to a quicker pace than we have had for almost two years!

So, how do I handle these times? Here I share with you 5 easy ways to honor yourself.

1. Get Your Sleep I know when I don’t get enough sleep, it’s not pretty. At all. So I try to stick to a regular bedtime and wake up time, with some flexibility on weekends. Getting a good night’s sleep is one of the best things we can do for ourselves, yet it sometimes is the last thing we permit ourselves to do. America, it’s OK to sleep!!!!

2. Prepare Your Food

When we prepare fresh, wholesome foods our body says Thank You by giving us energy and keeping us running through our busy days. I love to cook, however with a full-time job and growing child, it’s often challenging to find the time for the fancy recipes of days past. As a family, we decided to try out a meal prep kit twice a week. It’s worked well and definitely given my husband more confidence in the kitchen while getting my daughter a little more involved in the dinner prep process. With so many meal options, we’ve been able to pick the most nutritious meals and even try some new flavors. I also meal plan to help us stay on track and be sure we are eating healthy throughout the day and busy week. It’s nothing fancy, but just having our dinners written down has lightened my mental load so I can focus on calmer evenings.

3. Incorporate movement throughout your day

You may have read in my previous posts, finding the right kind of movement is important to keep you moving. I’ve found yoga and long walks are my favorite forms of movement, but some days a dance party with my daughter or push-ups and some planks are what gets my blood flowing. Since I teach virtually, I start every class by having my students stand, take some deep breaths, stretch, and then take their seats. This is my sneaky way of getting movement in for myself and modeling this healthy habit for my students. When you find movement that you enjoy, you no longer think of it as exercise, you just move.

4. Surround Yourself with Beauty

As the old saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Our environment is very important and plays a huge part in our mental and physical well-being. The older I get, the more this plays a part in my day-to-day life. I find minimalism and nature beautiful, but beauty is different for everyone. Colors and shapes and textures help us see life from different perspectives. I have several of my daughter’s art pieces hanging throughout our house. I also have plants in almost every room and on our porches. When I look at these things, I immediately smile and am reminded how beautiful our life is.

5. Make Meaningful Connections

It’s been a very challenging 2 years through the pandemic. We’ve all suffered loss, but the one thing that we all have in common is we’ve lived through this experience. Now it’s time to allow ourselves to connect with one another around the experience. We were made to be social. Humans need one another, and not just on a screen. Our bodies need hugs and touch. Our hearts beat healthier when we connect and interact with other humans. Trust me, I’m an ambivert, I love my alone time, but I also love a good, in-person social connection with friends and family. The trip I took with my girlfriends recently was one of the most amazing weekends of connection. We hiked, we did yoga, we ate good food, and drank libations. We shared our struggles as wives, moms, and full-time employees. We shared music and laughter. It was the best birthday present my husband has ever given me. Even if I did all the planning!

While it’s March, we celebrate Women’s History, by honoring those women who have made wonderful contributions to our world. Be sure to stop and honor yourself too. You are one of those women making great contributions to our world in the way you show up each day. Now I’m going to go honor myself with some sleep!

Thank you for stopping by. If you know someone who could benefit from my post, please share it.

Weekday Wisdom

Turn knowledge into wisdom. This was the encouragement given to me early in the week and so here I am pondering what do I want to share? What do I have to share? As my mind races with little writing projects I’m working on, there’s a nudge as the evening goes on to just sit down and write about what’s on my mind in this moment.

Ironically, I’ve been brewing some ideas about weekly topics I can offer as I grow my writing presence and alas, I’ve landed here with “Weekday Wisdom.” I can’t say that each week it will be a certain niche, (parenting, teaching, mindfulness, yoga), but what I can offer is that it will be short, little tidbits of wisdom that might be helpful to others. It will also be wisdom that’s been passed down to me through my elders, other humans I’m connected with, and my life experiences. I hope the stories I share inspire you and bring us closer together as humans.

Weekday Wisdom: Learn with your kids.

This week my daughter’s class is focused on their Social Studies unit. She came to me yesterday and said, “Social Studies is hard.” Do we make it harder for kids to learn than it has to be? I don’t know about you but I loathed the history textbooks as a student. I never could relate, and I couldn’t memorize all those dates to save my life. Truth be told, I had to repeat American History in summer school all because I couldn’t memorize all the state capitals. I still don’t have them memorized! But I can Google that *&%$. That is, if I really need to know it. Which I haven’t come across anything in my life yet that has required me to recite all the state capitals. What I am fascinated with in history is people and their stories. Isn’t that what social studies is? Studying societies, studying the social parts of our society?

Tonight, as our daughter told us about a mischievous, little leprechaun who opened all the cabinets in her teacher’s kitchen on St. Patrick’s Day, I followed her lead with the questions: Who was St. Patrick? How did he become a Saint? What’s he known for? What’s a saint? Why do we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Did you know that your grandpa’s family is from Ireland?

This is when I started to think, ‘Gosh, I don’t even know the answers to all of these questions!’ As a kid, we always celebrated St. Patrick’s Day! My dad made his family’s famous corned beef and cabbage, he belonged to an organization called the Shamrock Club, that usually had a big, fancy dinner on St. Patrick’s Day, and my sister and I would argue over who got to wear that BIG plastic button that said, “Kiss Me, I’m Irish”.

So this evening when my girl asked me to play Barbies (again), I excitedly obliged and offered the storyline, “what if our Barbies are researchers?” My girl lit up and exclaimed, “Yeah, they could research St. Patrick’s Day!” We got down on the floor and found a new way to connect with the phone, each other, and our heritage.

I was Ken, she was the teenage Barbie. We used the kids’ safe search engine, www.kiddle.co, and “searched up” (as my daughter says) Saint Patrick’s Day Facts. I read them aloud to her in my best Ken voice! From there we proceeded to take a short, 5 minute video “field trip” if you will, to Ireland. For now, it will suffice until we can safely get on a plane to Ireland.

It wasn’t a fancy, pre-planned lesson. It was me and my girl. And the Barbies of course! Now, my daughter is interested in learning more about another culture. Her history. Our family. I learned more about this holiday than I ever learned in school.

So, for all of you parents who have felt lost and confused this school year, here’s my wisdom for you… you’re doing great! You’re learning with your kids and you’re connecting with them. It’s okay if you don’t know everything.

Until next week, keep playing and learning!

-Kristen

And if you’re in the mood to listen to some Irish music, check these out.

I do recall my paternal grandfather loved this one.

This one is upbeat and might inspire you to do a jig.

A Love Like No Other

If it wasn’t for my AMAZINGLY talented and dedicated mom, I wouldn’t be on this journey. Losing my mom in September left a hole in my heart bigger than the moon, but she continues to guide me, especially on this writing journey. This poem is for her.

A Love Like No Other

A mother’s love is like no other. When I most need a push, a gentle nudge, your love shows up.

When I need a hug, your arms envelope me in warmth.

When I need to cry, you gently wipe my tears, whispering to breathe deeply to let them out.

When I’m scared, you tell me I’m brave.

When I hurt, you tell me I’m strong.

When I succeed, you celebrate with me and tell me how proud you are.

When I’m confused, you tell me to write it down and let things come to me.

You love me on my best and worst days. You’re my mom and your love is like no other.

In honor of Women’s History Month I’ll be sharing a short series of posts about some amazing, talented women who have made a difference in my life and that I’m honored to be connected to. I hope you will check out their amazing businesses and resources if they resonate with you.

Thank you for reading.

-Kristen

Lesson 10: Share Your Story

Photo by Ann Nekr on Pexels.com

This 10th lesson has been one of the hardest to write. Maybe because it’s finally putting some closure on the loss of our grandparents. Maybe it’s because I’m putting out there what’s next on my journey. Or maybe it’s just hard because I know my story is unique, but so is yours. As I reread my first drafts it was clear that some of the details were too personal to share here. When we look at successful people we don’t always know the back story of the struggles they went through to reach success. However, I do know the backstories of Bop and Gram, and it’s taught me that through sharing our stories we can learn so much! We give HOPE to one another and we can grow. Think of a book or a story that changed your perspective. Can you think of a book you loved to read over and over again as a child? Think of the lyrics to a favorite song that resonate with you. Maybe you see a story in a beautiful piece of artwork. Telling stories is the heart of humanness.

Bop loved to tell stories about his life. He always shared stories about his childhood, his travels, what it was like in our country during difficult times like World Wars, and the Depression. Our family could sit around the table and listen to Bop’s stories over and over again. We still tell them. It’s these stories that have helped my husband and me through this pandemic. It’s these lessons that have helped us stay positive when faced with challenges. At the age of 95 Bop sat down at his computer and began writing his autobiography. He titled it, “My Wonderful Life”. Reading stories like his and reflecting on our own lives helps us to see that we are all faced with challenges and triumphs. They give us HOPE that we can endure the tough times.

Gram shared books and stories she loved in her lifetime with us. I remember going to her house and there was a cabinet in the family room full of old children’s books, and games that my sister and I would play with. Getting to spend 43 years of my life with her gave me stories to share with my daughter. Stories of my childhood. Stories with characters I love. Stories of getting to explore new places.

So from all of this, I am moving forward with my writing and working on sharing stories with the world. Writing has always been a way for me to process what I live. Writing is my creative outlet. As I tell stories to my daughter, and as I create stories to share with the world, I hope you, too, will share your story. You don’t have to be a writer to share your story. Oral storytelling has lived through history, and now is the time to pass along these stories with others. These stories are the fabric of humanity that bring us closer together, and help us to feel less alone.

I’m grateful you stopped by to read, and hope you’ve gained inspiration to focus on the lessons in life, not the mistakes, see the good, and share your story with others. We can all use a little more hope and love these days. 💖

Kristen

Lesson 9: Have Faith Over Fear

Photo by Suliman Sallehi on Pexels.com

Letting go and accepting that we don’t have control over everything in life is a difficult skill to master. I don’t know if our grandparents mastered it, however they made it look as if they did.

Perhaps it’s because our grandparents had SO much life experience and had lived through so much that they had a strong faith. They knew that they couldn’t control everything, and that when things weren’t in their control, a positive attitude would get them through it.

Gram knew, as a parent, that she couldn’t control her children or their situations. She had compassion. She always looked for what she did have control over, and that was her attitude. She could be supportive or she could try to control everything. She always chose to be supportive.

Bop was the same. The summer I traveled with him, he had a minor stroke. His reaction was so calm. He knew he needed to go to the doctor and he didn’t like hospitals, yet he knew this was out of his control. His positive attitude and faith that things would be okay gave him the strength to crack jokes, laugh, and let me know it would be okay until Kevin arrived.

Last year we took our daughter to the snow to go tubing. My husband and I being in our 40’s, I was worried about one of us getting injured. I couldn’t remember the last time either of us had done something like this. The first ride up the man-made snowy hill was terrifying! As the the crisp, chilly winter air brushed my face, I closed my eyes and just let my body relax into the snow tube. Reaching the top of the hill, I put my tube down, sat in it, and let the lift worker spin me and give me a push down the hill. I clenched my teeth, closed my eyes, and exhaled BIG as I let go of control. “Just let go!” “Have fun!” “It will be okay!” These were the mantras I repeated in my head the entire 60 seconds it took to slide down the hill. It was invigorating, a different kind of adrenaline rush than I had become accustomed to. This is the joy of learning to let go of control of everything. The joy of having faith that everything will be okay.

Living through a year like 2020 has tested our faith. It’s tested our resilience. It’s also given us the opportunity to build them. The challenges in our lives give us the ability to approach things out of our control with a positive attitude.

When doubt creeps in, listen to this beautiful music to remind yourself that it’s going to be okay. Have faith my friends!

Thank you for reading and if you know someone who could use a little extra faith, share this with them.

-Kristen

Lesson 8: Try Something New

Photo by Polina Kovaleva on Pexels.com

Lesson 8: Try Something New. This lesson might be where we hit a crossroads between our elders and our youngsters. In a world bombarded with knowledge and information, it’s challenging to avoid trying new things, yet sometimes our fear muscle gets the best of us and we stop trying new things. Or do we reach a point in life where we forget what it’s like to try something new and the sense of joy and wonder that comes with that experience? Can we take the direction of our own children coupled with the wisdom of our grandparents to navigate new experiences?

In my own personal experience we’ve recently hit a point where my 7 year old daughter has admitted she’s scared to try new foods. As someone who’s life has revolved around good cooking, good food, and the enjoyment of sharing a meal, this fear of my girl’s is difficult to understand. So I know we have to make it less scary for her. How do we make trying new things less scary? How do we develop a mindset of wonder and curiosity? What did our grandparents try as they were older?

As told in my earlier posts, Bop worked with his hands, he tried to fix things he knew he could. When Bop was in his 80’s, he began working with technology. He saw technology as a way to keep his mind going. He said, “Your mind is better than a computer.” Bop took computers apart and put them together. He had no fear of breaking them. He would say, “To fix something, don’t worry what happens when you take it apart, it’s broken already, you can’t break it any worse.” Not only did Bop learn how to fix computers late in life, but he also tried social media. He used it for good. Bop loved to keep in touch with people and Facebook was a way for him to see what everyone was up to! When Bop tried something new, he wasn’t afraid of failure, or at least he never showed any signs of fear. Perhaps it was the times he grew up in that gave him the resilience to keep that sense of wonder.

On the other hand, Gram wasn’t as interested in trying technology, however she loved to try to new recipes. These were signs of her times. She grew up when women cooked and took care of the home. Recipes had directions, they were a safe risk. The worst that could happen is nobody liked it. I can recall just about every weekend when my older sister and I went to our grandparents’ house Gram would greet us by saying, “I found this recipe for… I thought we can try it for dinner.” I got her recipe box after she passed. It took me 3 years to finally sit down and go through it. There were all kinds of newspaper and magazine clippings for things that I wouldn’t eat today. Again, these recipes were a sign of the times. Cream of something soup was in just about all of them!

Trying new things is more about what we can learn, and the experience and memories that are created rather than the “thing” itself. As children we have a sense of wonder, curiosity, and awe. Then we get into the thick of life where we think we have to know it all and do it all. We fear screwing things up. What if we just try something new? The best that can happen is we love it, whether it’s a new piece of technology, a new app, a new hobby, or even a new recipe. The worst that can happen is we discover what we don’t like.

Nothing is as permanent as we think. Trying new things doesn’t have to be anything grandioso. Listen to a new song. Try a new recipe. Introduce yourself to someone new. Take a class on something you don’t already know. Approach the day with wonder and curiosity. Get out of your own head. Wonder. Try. Something New.