The Experiment is all about doing the things I've been making up excuses not to pursue. It's also about opening myself up to new opportunities that I'd normally dismiss because they were fill-in-the-blank (too silly, time-consuming, discomfort-provoking, etc.) I'm still working on a total list of all of my dreams, but here's the first ten.
The List:
1. Become involved in local political issues, possible through grassroots organizations or public policy groups.
2. Write a book
3. Play piano in a public venue
4. Change someone's life through mentoring
5. Practice yoga on a regular basis
6. Hike a 14'er; make smores and sing off key on the mountain
7. Run a marathon
8. Learn to snowboard and try the half pipe
9. Form close and supportive group of friends
10. Find a job that is rewarding
If you stop to think, you probably have a List. Let me know if yours looks like mine, or if you'd add a couple.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Rootless
It's taken me a while to cotton to the idea of blogging. Not because I'm a particularly private person, but because I assumed that no one would be interested in reading about my daily doings. It's the same reason I don't have a Twitter account. Signing up to trawl an incessant stream of non-sequiters documenting the most mundane portions of life has little appeal to me. (Plus, I'd just end up getting embroiled in tweet fisti-cuffs, inserting my foot in my mouth and chomping.)
BUT. I find myself wanting to slow down. To explore, question, poke, prod and ultimately make myself a Home here at the foot of the Rockies. Moving around most of my adult life has given me the momentum that I've relied upon to energize my days. No matter where I was or what I was doing (or who I was doing it with), the next great adventure was always in the periphery. While most people find the prospect of uprooting themselves and starting over in a new locale, it's been a little mental safety net for me: no matter how hard things would get, I knew that there was always Elsewhereville -- a new city with a whole new set of challenges, rewards, and cast of characters.
This time, it's different.
I moved for a man. Actually, I moved for 'Us' -- for our collective careers and financial stability. The excitement I feel from being in a brand new city tastes familiar, but there's a pleasant heaviness to it. Bringing our lives with us has grounded me somehow and put into focus on the many dreams that I'd put on hold, waiting for that 'some day' to come when I was a more established, focused, adult version of myself.
Although some-day-super-adult-me hasn't materialized, it feels like the right time to try something... new. What would happen if I try to do the things I've most wanted to do?
I'm about to embark on my Experiment. This blog is a kind of public promise to myself. Sometimes, saying something out loud can make it more real.
Next, I'll post my own List and Ground Rules.
BUT. I find myself wanting to slow down. To explore, question, poke, prod and ultimately make myself a Home here at the foot of the Rockies. Moving around most of my adult life has given me the momentum that I've relied upon to energize my days. No matter where I was or what I was doing (or who I was doing it with), the next great adventure was always in the periphery. While most people find the prospect of uprooting themselves and starting over in a new locale, it's been a little mental safety net for me: no matter how hard things would get, I knew that there was always Elsewhereville -- a new city with a whole new set of challenges, rewards, and cast of characters.
This time, it's different.
I moved for a man. Actually, I moved for 'Us' -- for our collective careers and financial stability. The excitement I feel from being in a brand new city tastes familiar, but there's a pleasant heaviness to it. Bringing our lives with us has grounded me somehow and put into focus on the many dreams that I'd put on hold, waiting for that 'some day' to come when I was a more established, focused, adult version of myself.
Although some-day-super-adult-me hasn't materialized, it feels like the right time to try something... new. What would happen if I try to do the things I've most wanted to do?
I'm about to embark on my Experiment. This blog is a kind of public promise to myself. Sometimes, saying something out loud can make it more real.
Next, I'll post my own List and Ground Rules.
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