Well, by way of an apology for what feels like a self involved post here; for the last 10 years I have been participating on this platform since 2014, I used to come right downstairs in the early morning, grab a healthy snack, and some water, and dive into the daily reflections. Over the last four or five weeks though, I have not touched my PC in the early morning and instead went directly to the gym when it opened up at 5 AM. Completing my work out within an hour and 15 minutes and then came home. That’s a change for me. it also means that my sharing here comes later in the day, which is of course OK, but it feels strange to me. So I have checked off the box for doing something new that I had not been doing before.
I went to the opera at Lincoln Center Saturday and for the first time swallowed my pride and let them move me in a wheelchair. Otherwise, I would have been unable to walk the distances required. That might sound like a negative, but accepting reality opens up the opportunity to go to a lot more places.
BTW, they were amazingly accommodating. They picked me up at the car and delivered me to my seat. One of the helpers was retired NYFD – very strong and skilled at helping people with mobility issues.
Your reflections are very inspiring. Maybe it’s time to try something new, even if it’s a small thing.
Sometimes these questions invoke an active dialogue in the head – which I now take as a positive thing. After the mind settled, it seems the question is a lovely invitation to look for the fresh newness in every situation, even if the day feels like a ground hog day.
Today ! I am learning how to be a meditation guide and I have to learn how to do zoom meetings as the host . So now I’m learning how to be a helper – guide. I have to do the six months or more training! I’m very excited about learning something new!
In 2017, it was the first time I made lunch for my parents. Also, since I have been living far away from them, it was the last time I did so. I still remember how my parents enjoyed the overcooked fish in happiness. Hopefully, it will never be the real last time that I do it for my parents.
Good morning all and greetings from cold and snowy Colorado. Brother Sun has made an appearance today and it looks like it may warm up a bit.
I love this question…I didn’t have to do much thinking about it. I lived the first 65.5 years of my life in New Jersey and 3 years ago we moved to an entirely different environment and landscape. Everything here is still so new!
But to share something specific: For my older daughter’s wedding 5 years ago I had blue highlights put in my hair to match the bridesmaids dresses. It was so fun and now I am getting ready to do the same (but in a new way) by putting purple highlights in my hair. My younger daughter and I have made a mother-daughter date to get this done.
In the meantime, I have been letting my hair grow long…I haven’t had long hair since my high school days. And since I married my high school sweetheart, I think my husband of 45 years is getting a big kick out of this. 🙂
Good morning, Diane. I have been watching snow accumulate for quite some time in the last few weeks. Homebound is not my favorite place to be. I do miss beach weather, and have quite a wait to get to that point. More importantly, the deep snow scares me if I try to get out, especially after my fall awhile back. I have 3 full trash bags in my house that need to go to the dumpster! I’m hoping for some melting in the very near future. And I’ll see my daughter this week for our weekly shopping expedition. On the positive side, the snow out back is beautiful, on the ground and on the trees. Enjoy your adventure with purple highlights!
Hello Pilgrim! I was hoping to find you here. 🙂
I’ve been homebound as well and have missed my daily walks. Sometimes only around the block to pick up the mail but I always love being outside and have missed that. Today I ventured out for the first time in days to keep my physical therapy appointment. Grateful that the arctic blast winds have died down and the sun is shining.
I hope you and your daughter have a lovely shopping time together. I hope to get with my younger daughter this weekend to have some fun with the purple hair dye she got me!
Stay safe…Om Shanti friend. 🙏
Just the other day I created a cheese pocket. I used bakers cheese and made a un familiar pie dough recipe. Let’s just say, it needs tweaking.
On Friday I am attempting a German Black Forest Torte. Hummmm!
It’s been a while, since I’ve done something
completely new and unique (to me).
But, I do new variations of things all the
time. A new cycling route, a new place to
hike, a new restaurant, a new computer
program, a new song on the guitar or drums,
a new book, a new friend, a new way of
thinking about something.
For the last four years, I’ve been settling into
this chapter of my life. But, four years ago,
so much was new. It was new everything.
I’ve spent the last four years digging in to
all this new stuff. It’s not really the best
feeling doing something for the first time.
Working without a safety net, as I tend to do,
means there’s a lot at stake. But I have
done this in my life, several time now and
maybe I’m getting a little bit better at
adjusting to the feeling of doing something
without fully knowing the consequences.
It’s been a slow process for me.
Good Morning, Today’s question on gratefulness.org (When was the last time I did something for the first time?) surfaced mixed emotions for me. So much of my daily life since 2018 has been involved in accepting new physical limitations. The loss of independence has been hard to accept but I am learning to ask for the help I need. I found myself looking through my old journals as I pondered this question and found a morning med I had titled “Walking on the Wild Side.” Reading it afforded me a couple of good chuckles. Hope it does the same for you. We all need chuckles!
Morning Meds Nov 30 2016 Walking on the Wild Side
“The willingness to consider possibility requires a tolerance of uncertainty.” Rachel Naomi Remen
Good Morning, I wish I knew how to use the camera on my Surface Pro. I would wake you up with a Selfie of me with curly hair. I have not had a permanent in my hair for about 20 years so I considered the possibility that I might enjoy the experience of curls. The fact that I no longer dye my hair made it even more intriguing since beauticians do not like to mix color and curl. I figured a body wave would provide me with body but these waves boarder on kinks and I can’t stop chuckling when I look in the mirror and Little Orphan Annie with grey hair chuckles back. My daughter would be appalled and my son would have a hey-day teasing me.
Well, as Rachel Naomi Remen says above: I considered possibility, made the hair appointment, and yesterday was tolerant of the uncertainty that lurked in the pink curlers being rolled around my locks and permanent solution being doused on my head. The result was definitely not what I expected but the experience is worth it. Now I know. I doubt I will ever perm my hair again!
All of this said, I have no intention of forsaking the willingness to consider the possibilities that come with a tolerance for uncertainty. Why, because it is new behavior for me. It is a sign of letting go, of experimenting and experiencing. It is a sign that I like myself enough to risk. It takes courage.
I doubt that my daughter would equate my kinky curls with courage. She might say, “Mama, have you lost your mind?”
I doubt my son would equate the fact that I curled my hair with “walking on the wild side” but in many ways that is exactly what it was for me.
Is there something that requires courage and a tolerance for uncertainty in your life today? What would walking on the wild side be for you in this moment?
I can relate, Carol. I, too, had mobility issues surface a couple of months ago fairly abruptly. Yes, help is hard to accept but I also have been moved by the kindness and support of my helpers. I call them my guardian angels. Thanks for the recommendation. Morning meds sounds like fun – I plan to check it out.
Dolores, My life changed drastically in 2018 due to sudden mobility issues so I definitely know how jarring a abrupt change in mobility can be. My heart goes out to you and I’m glad to know you have helpers. As for the Morning Meds (meditation and medication), I’ve been writing them almost daily for at least 10 years now and I keep them filed in my computer. I do share them with others and enjoy doing so. I often share them here in the community section and the daily question section of gratefulness.org.
Carol…this made me chuckle too! My daughter gave me purple hair dye for my birthday. We have a mother-daughter date to experiment with it. I smile at the thought of living out my true hippie-dippy self in this rather conservative senior community!
The last time I saw a beautician I mentioned I always wanted red hair. She said “let’s do it.” Now she is in her 20’s and me in my 80’s. Well, not yet young one!
The music I select to teach myself to play on the piano is often inspired by seasons or events. Over the past few days, we received 15+ inches of snow, which I love. So I have been learning , « Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! » A new addition to my repertoire!❄️❄️❄️
I wish I had kept up with my piano lessons. But alas, I met my boyfriend (who is now my husband of 45 years) at 16 years old and, alas, everything else in my teenage life was less important at the time. I stopped my lessons and my mother sold our piano and that was that. 🙁
Diane, it is not too late! During Covid, I procured a used piano and started re-teaching myself to play. I had not really played the piano for 50+ years. In 4th grade, I begged my parents to take lessons and 2 years later, begged them to let me quit! They granted both my wishes. A good beginners book got me started and I can always find the music I want on line, usually with 3 levels of difficulty to choose from. It has been very rewarding.
This question made me realize I don’t do a lot of new or different things. I want to learn pickle ball this spring and I went vegan for health issues from yesterday so maybe going vegan can be my ‘something for the first time’. Not sure how long I will remain vegan but I want to try for 6 to 12 months.
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Three years ago I started playing tennis. It is a pleasure! I like it, I improve, I play with young people!
Last week was a friend’s birthday — we did indoor wall climbing for the first time. What a rush!
I did a sound bath meditation at work recently. It was definitely very relaxing!
Well, by way of an apology for what feels like a self involved post here; for the last 10 years I have been participating on this platform since 2014, I used to come right downstairs in the early morning, grab a healthy snack, and some water, and dive into the daily reflections. Over the last four or five weeks though, I have not touched my PC in the early morning and instead went directly to the gym when it opened up at 5 AM. Completing my work out within an hour and 15 minutes and then came home. That’s a change for me. it also means that my sharing here comes later in the day, which is of course OK, but it feels strange to me. So I have checked off the box for doing something new that I had not been doing before.
I went to the opera at Lincoln Center Saturday and for the first time swallowed my pride and let them move me in a wheelchair. Otherwise, I would have been unable to walk the distances required. That might sound like a negative, but accepting reality opens up the opportunity to go to a lot more places.
BTW, they were amazingly accommodating. They picked me up at the car and delivered me to my seat. One of the helpers was retired NYFD – very strong and skilled at helping people with mobility issues.
Your reflections are very inspiring. Maybe it’s time to try something new, even if it’s a small thing.
This is a humbling experience and it felt like giving up my independence, but I gained the experience of meeting folks from different countries.
It is fantastic, Dolores!
Dolores, So glad you went to the opera! You are an inspiration!
Sometimes these questions invoke an active dialogue in the head – which I now take as a positive thing. After the mind settled, it seems the question is a lovely invitation to look for the fresh newness in every situation, even if the day feels like a ground hog day.
What a a great idea, Don.
Today ! I am learning how to be a meditation guide and I have to learn how to do zoom meetings as the host . So now I’m learning how to be a helper – guide. I have to do the six months or more training! I’m very excited about learning something new!
That is wonderful news, Antoinette.
In 2017, it was the first time I made lunch for my parents. Also, since I have been living far away from them, it was the last time I did so. I still remember how my parents enjoyed the overcooked fish in happiness. Hopefully, it will never be the real last time that I do it for my parents.
Good morning all and greetings from cold and snowy Colorado. Brother Sun has made an appearance today and it looks like it may warm up a bit.
I love this question…I didn’t have to do much thinking about it. I lived the first 65.5 years of my life in New Jersey and 3 years ago we moved to an entirely different environment and landscape. Everything here is still so new!
But to share something specific: For my older daughter’s wedding 5 years ago I had blue highlights put in my hair to match the bridesmaids dresses. It was so fun and now I am getting ready to do the same (but in a new way) by putting purple highlights in my hair. My younger daughter and I have made a mother-daughter date to get this done.
In the meantime, I have been letting my hair grow long…I haven’t had long hair since my high school days. And since I married my high school sweetheart, I think my husband of 45 years is getting a big kick out of this. 🙂
Have a blessed day everyone 🙏
Good morning, Diane. I have been watching snow accumulate for quite some time in the last few weeks. Homebound is not my favorite place to be. I do miss beach weather, and have quite a wait to get to that point. More importantly, the deep snow scares me if I try to get out, especially after my fall awhile back. I have 3 full trash bags in my house that need to go to the dumpster! I’m hoping for some melting in the very near future. And I’ll see my daughter this week for our weekly shopping expedition. On the positive side, the snow out back is beautiful, on the ground and on the trees. Enjoy your adventure with purple highlights!
Hello Pilgrim! I was hoping to find you here. 🙂
I’ve been homebound as well and have missed my daily walks. Sometimes only around the block to pick up the mail but I always love being outside and have missed that. Today I ventured out for the first time in days to keep my physical therapy appointment. Grateful that the arctic blast winds have died down and the sun is shining.
I hope you and your daughter have a lovely shopping time together. I hope to get with my younger daughter this weekend to have some fun with the purple hair dye she got me!
Stay safe…Om Shanti friend. 🙏
Just the other day I created a cheese pocket. I used bakers cheese and made a un familiar pie dough recipe. Let’s just say, it needs tweaking.
On Friday I am attempting a German Black Forest Torte. Hummmm!
It’s been a while, since I’ve done something
completely new and unique (to me).
But, I do new variations of things all the
time. A new cycling route, a new place to
hike, a new restaurant, a new computer
program, a new song on the guitar or drums,
a new book, a new friend, a new way of
thinking about something.
For the last four years, I’ve been settling into
this chapter of my life. But, four years ago,
so much was new. It was new everything.
I’ve spent the last four years digging in to
all this new stuff. It’s not really the best
feeling doing something for the first time.
Working without a safety net, as I tend to do,
means there’s a lot at stake. But I have
done this in my life, several time now and
maybe I’m getting a little bit better at
adjusting to the feeling of doing something
without fully knowing the consequences.
It’s been a slow process for me.
Charlie, Your willingness is uplifting. Thank you.
Good Morning, Today’s question on gratefulness.org (When was the last time I did something for the first time?) surfaced mixed emotions for me. So much of my daily life since 2018 has been involved in accepting new physical limitations. The loss of independence has been hard to accept but I am learning to ask for the help I need. I found myself looking through my old journals as I pondered this question and found a morning med I had titled “Walking on the Wild Side.” Reading it afforded me a couple of good chuckles. Hope it does the same for you. We all need chuckles!
Morning Meds Nov 30 2016 Walking on the Wild Side
“The willingness to consider possibility requires a tolerance of uncertainty.” Rachel Naomi Remen
Good Morning, I wish I knew how to use the camera on my Surface Pro. I would wake you up with a Selfie of me with curly hair. I have not had a permanent in my hair for about 20 years so I considered the possibility that I might enjoy the experience of curls. The fact that I no longer dye my hair made it even more intriguing since beauticians do not like to mix color and curl. I figured a body wave would provide me with body but these waves boarder on kinks and I can’t stop chuckling when I look in the mirror and Little Orphan Annie with grey hair chuckles back. My daughter would be appalled and my son would have a hey-day teasing me.
Well, as Rachel Naomi Remen says above: I considered possibility, made the hair appointment, and yesterday was tolerant of the uncertainty that lurked in the pink curlers being rolled around my locks and permanent solution being doused on my head. The result was definitely not what I expected but the experience is worth it. Now I know. I doubt I will ever perm my hair again!
All of this said, I have no intention of forsaking the willingness to consider the possibilities that come with a tolerance for uncertainty. Why, because it is new behavior for me. It is a sign of letting go, of experimenting and experiencing. It is a sign that I like myself enough to risk. It takes courage.
I doubt that my daughter would equate my kinky curls with courage. She might say, “Mama, have you lost your mind?”
I doubt my son would equate the fact that I curled my hair with “walking on the wild side” but in many ways that is exactly what it was for me.
Is there something that requires courage and a tolerance for uncertainty in your life today? What would walking on the wild side be for you in this moment?
I can relate, Carol. I, too, had mobility issues surface a couple of months ago fairly abruptly. Yes, help is hard to accept but I also have been moved by the kindness and support of my helpers. I call them my guardian angels. Thanks for the recommendation. Morning meds sounds like fun – I plan to check it out.
Dolores, My life changed drastically in 2018 due to sudden mobility issues so I definitely know how jarring a abrupt change in mobility can be. My heart goes out to you and I’m glad to know you have helpers. As for the Morning Meds (meditation and medication), I’ve been writing them almost daily for at least 10 years now and I keep them filed in my computer. I do share them with others and enjoy doing so. I often share them here in the community section and the daily question section of gratefulness.org.
Carol…this made me chuckle too! My daughter gave me purple hair dye for my birthday. We have a mother-daughter date to experiment with it. I smile at the thought of living out my true hippie-dippy self in this rather conservative senior community!
Diane, You go, girl!
The last time I saw a beautician I mentioned I always wanted red hair. She said “let’s do it.” Now she is in her 20’s and me in my 80’s. Well, not yet young one!
YRAM, I hear you!
Around the New Year, I climbed about 20ft up a ladder and helped my husband fix some siding on our house. It was incredibly satisfying!
The music I select to teach myself to play on the piano is often inspired by seasons or events. Over the past few days, we received 15+ inches of snow, which I love. So I have been learning , « Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! » A new addition to my repertoire!❄️❄️❄️
I wish I had kept up with my piano lessons. But alas, I met my boyfriend (who is now my husband of 45 years) at 16 years old and, alas, everything else in my teenage life was less important at the time. I stopped my lessons and my mother sold our piano and that was that. 🙁
Diane, it is not too late! During Covid, I procured a used piano and started re-teaching myself to play. I had not really played the piano for 50+ years. In 4th grade, I begged my parents to take lessons and 2 years later, begged them to let me quit! They granted both my wishes. A good beginners book got me started and I can always find the music I want on line, usually with 3 levels of difficulty to choose from. It has been very rewarding.
This question made me realize I don’t do a lot of new or different things. I want to learn pickle ball this spring and I went vegan for health issues from yesterday so maybe going vegan can be my ‘something for the first time’. Not sure how long I will remain vegan but I want to try for 6 to 12 months.