When was the last time you did something for the first time?
Yesterday, I set aside my total aversion to winter sports and strapped on a pair of snowshoes [for the first time]. And you know what? I am so glad I did! It helped that I had the good company of a dear friend who had never been before either. We thought of it as an adventure. She had two pairs of snowshoes sitting in her garage needing some attention, so we thought, “Why not?”
[a quiet, foggy start]
We really didn’t know where we were going, but had a vague idea where to start. Starting our walk, we followed a quiet lift line up to higher elevation. There may have been one major technical difficulty, which proved that wearing my new snow pants was a brilliant idea. Through a team effort we got my snowshoe back in working order. Being mid-week, to say it was quiet is an understatement of grand proportions. We saw only one other person. We trekked along groomed Nordic trails and for two hours we only heard the scraping of our shoes.
As middle age starts to sink in, I see how easy it is to just stay comfortable. You don’t get hurt or embarrassed or scared doing the same thing day in and day out. You stay safe, but you lose your spark! For trying something new yesterday, I was rewarded. Rewarded with a great workout, a long uninterrupted conversation with a friend, and [eventually] abundant SUNSHINE!
Try something new. Do something for the first time! Who knows, you might actually like it!
