I am an Adventurer . . .

Last night, I had just come home from the club and was watching some telly, and the phone rang. It was one of the Church Ladies, and we proceeded to have one of the most amazing phone calls I have had in a very long time.

In early September, the Church Ladies had asked me to be their speaker for their fall luncheon. The wanted to hear some about my travels, and all the stuff I do. My "list." I didn't really think I had anything interesting to talk about, but I knew they were interested in my trips to Iona and most recently, to Egypt, so I agreed.

I put together a Powerpoint (!) and called it: "A's List: Dance Like No One Is Watching." And I talked about my life and my list of "things I've always wanted to do" (I don't call it a bucket list). I've written here about this before, and I used some of those writings in my presentation.

I talked about my life, about my late mom (many of them knew her), and about how she shaped who I became as an adult. And I talked about my travels and shared some photos. I talked about learning at a young age that life is short. I talked about finding the writings of author, Joan Anderson, and how my trips to Iona with her had changed my life. I talked about Julia Cameron's books and about Dr. Wayne Dyer's books. I talked about my list of things I'd always wanted to do, and how it changed as I moved on to the path back to myself. It began to have questions on it and began to be more about who I am than what I wanted - and how the things I wanted began to be informed by the "me" I was discovering on this path.

I talked about how I am an adventurer.

If you are on this path to yourself, or might like to be, the posts in this blog that are tagged with "The Path to Myself" are about my feelings and journey. I have surrounded myself with people who "get it." Those of us on the same path - it's about the spirit and about life and about living our lives. And for me, it's always about Dancing Like No One Is Watching.

The presentation seemed to go pretty well and many of the ladies told me they enjoyed it very much. And the lunch was great - church ladies know how to cook! :-D I had been really nervous about it and when it was over, I was really glad I had done it.

So - the call. I got this call last night from one of the church ladies who had attended the luncheon and heard my presentation - someone who has never called me before. She called last night to tell me that she had recently been in Florida, and that she had always just gone to the beach in her capris - never actually getting in the water. But this time . . . she said she remembered my talk about, as she put it "living like no one is watching."

She looked around her and realized that there were plenty of people who were older, fatter, (insert whatever it is that usually holds you back here) - and she didn't want to just get her feet wet on the shore, she wanted to go swimming. So, she decided to go to the store. There was a bathing suit in her size and it fit (of course it did - whether or not she knew it, she had already set the intention of what she wanted to do and everything just fell into place :-)). She bought it, put it on, and headed to the beach and the pool.

She told me that she got into the water - all the way into the water - and that she spent a lot of time in the pool, floating around with a water noodle and just generally having a the time of her life. I could see her there - and I could hear in her voice the joy she had been missing on so many previous trips where she kept herself from enjoying herself to the fullest because she was afraid of what others might think. Best. Trip. Ever.

Wow . . .

I was so thrilled that she had called to share this with me. My own spirit leaped for joy at her joy. I imagine all her trips are going to be a lot more fun from now, on - I imagine her LIFE will be even more filled with joy as she heads down the path to herself.

It doesn't matter what you look like. It doesn't matter how old you are. It is NEVER TOO LATE to start doing all the things you have always wanted to do. My mom got her Bachelor's Degree in her late 40's. She started taking piano lessons again when she was 80 years old. I learned to play the bagpipes when I was 40 and I started lifting weights when I was 53 and I think I'm about to learn a new musical instrument . . . (more on that in another post :-) ).

What's stopping you? Probably only yourself . . . "I don't have time . . . I'm too old . . . I'm too young . . . I'm too fat . . . I'm too tired . . . I can't afford it . . ."

Oh my friends, Excuses Begone! Life is short - every day we wake up is a gift.

Comments

Linda M said…
this post makes my heart sing and the tears flow at the same time. Thank you so much for sharing the experience.

Linda M (Lulabellebird).
I have been thinking about this same subject alot lately. Thank you for reminding us that life is short so we need to grasp it with both hands.
candy said…
Thank you for sharing this! Thank you for living your life and showing others how to do it. Here's to following dreams!
Auntea said…
What a wonderful post, thanks so much for the encouragement. I am guilty, guilty, guilty of not taking a dive in the water myself-but I'm working on it. I sure wish I would have heard your talk. Next time could you let us know?
Amy said…
That was truly a beautiful post. I am always inspired by your travels and I am now off to look at Joan Anderson's book.
A :-) said…
You Guys - thanks so much :-) I'm glad you enjoyed hearing about this. I have re-read my own post a bunch of times because her story makes me happy every time I read it again :-D

Linda - you are welcome :-)

Kristyn - that's right - both hands, open and ready for all the good stuff :-)

Candy - you've been following your dreams alright! :-)

Aunttea - if I ever speak on the topic again, I will put it in the blog :-)

Amy - thanks very much, I think you will really enjoy Joan Anderson's books. Start with: "A Year By The Sea." I'm happy to discuss with you any time! :-)
I started lifting weights at 54 and yoga at 55 (this year) to balance out all the weight lifting. After about three months of yoga I haven't felt this good in years!
Anonymous said…
I live on the other side of the pond from you. I'm on episode 31 of AAAv's podcast. You linked here during one of the episodes. I'm so glad you did because I am thoroughly enjoying reading about your life. I can relate to a lot of what you have and are going through. Just another reason that I believe things come to you when you are ready...Watching your podcasts, I had formed an idea of you. This blog shows the real you. Once again, I learn that I'm not the only one in the world with problems or issues or a tough time. The biggest thing I relate to here is overwhelming myself with all the things I want to do...
A :-) said…
Color Poems, so glad you came over from the podcast. I'm glad my writing speaks to you :-)

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