Trying New Things

This morning, a very nice comment on Facebook kinda brought to the forefront my basic idea of how and why I do what I do every day. A reader reminded me that years ago, I said something like . . If there’s something you have an interest in doing, try it! I’d rather try and fail, than not try, get old, look back on my life and wish I’d tried.

That is the basic foundation by which I live my life. We are all different – I’m in no way saying my way is right and yours is wrong.

It’s funny around our house because you can throw out any given “let’s do this” scenario. I’m immediately up, gathering the stuff or ordering what we don’t have because I’m going to try it NOW. On the other hand, Vince is naming off all the reasons why it will not work and is not a good idea. He is the voice of reason, where mostly, I am not but it still gets frustrating. One time, I’d like for him to enthusiastically say “Great idea! Let’s do it right now!”

When I think of the things I do and write about, it makes me giggle because I know some of you are saying . . she’s crazy! She’s starting another project! I wouldn’t do that if I were her. You are the Vince in my world. Others are saying “Oh, I want to do that too! I’m going to order what she ordered. This is going to be so fun!” You are the Judy in my world!

So . who would you rather be . . Vince or Judy? Don’t answer that . . I’m joking. Those who think like Vince would be miserable living like I do (or even living with me!), and vice versa but we all need balance so let’s just look at the antics of the other, laugh, shake our heads in disbelief and be happy we all balance out each other.

Examples:

• Buying a house in MO. Every time someone writes to me and says “What if Chad moves?”, I think . . What if Chad moves? Vince asks the same question. My answer . . We will just sell our house and move too. We’ve moved all our lives . . what will a few more moves hurt? It isn’t that I want to be in that town where they live. I want to be close to them, wherever that might be.
• All the knitting projects I start. I knit for fun. It isn’t like in the old days when winter is coming and the kids all need a knitted jacket without holes in it. Last night I started a new project and I kept thinking . . I should finish something before starting something new but I was really chomping at the bit to try this project (wait til you see it!). I did start it and it was after midnight when I made myself put it down. I loved every minute of it and for me, having projects that I love are what keeps the creative energies flowing and ultimately give me the desire to finish older projects. It would have been boring to pick up an older project when that new one was begging to get started. There are knitters I know who have one project going at a time. I wish I were more like that but I don’t wish it enough to change my ways. I love new projects!

So, you see . . before being critical of someone who does things differently from how you do them, think about it and maybe realize all the different ideas, different people are what give this old world balance. Think about if I thought like Vince, or all the world thought like Judy.

Having said all that, there are things that pop into my head almost every day that I want to do and recently, I’ve heard myself saying . . if I were ten years younger, I’d do that! I can’t imagine being 65 or 75 or 85, looking back and having an entire bucket list with nothing checked off.

Every time someone tells me . . “I wish I could can food” or “I wish I could knit”, I want to say . . maybe you wish it a little bit but if you really wanted to do it, you would do it. I used to say “I wish I were a better housekeeper” and then I realized . . no, I don’t wish that at all. If I did, I would do it. It takes no real skill to be a good housekeeper, it just takes determination – pick up after yourself, don’t make messes you don’t want to clean up; don’t go to bed with clutter everywhere, then wake up and add more clutter. What I was really wishing was that people would come over after I’d just cleaned and not walk into my mess and see me for the bad housekeeper that I am.

We’re all who we are. We all have the ability to change if we want to badly enough (and I’m talking about the kind of habits in my life – not addiction and things that go beyond our control).

It’s just like with my rowing machine efforts. Yesterday was Day #3. I thought of every excuse in the world NOT to get on that machine and finally, about 7 or 8 p.m., I said “I’m doing it!” and got up and did it. I knew that if I skipped a day, I might never get on it again. Today, I was on it and done by 9 a.m. There’s no reason to sit here all day and try to talk myself out of doing what I know needs to be done. Just do it!

As we move towards the new year, if there is something you feel like you’ve really wanted to do and you can easily (or not so easily!) do it, then do it. Don’t be sitting in that same chair at this time in 2020 wishing you had done it!