The Day-to-Day. The Routine. The Schedule. While keeping a schedule and consistency in our lives can be helpful in maintaining our sanity and getting it all done, if we stay with it too long, it will inevitably become The Grind.
Incorporating fun and new activities into our lives isn't just a good idea; I think it is essential for our health. Our brains need new stimuli to continue developing and to keep us young-in-mind! New challenges are also great for our emotional and mental health. While these challenges can come in different forms (mental, like reading, physical, like hiking, etc.), they can all increase our happiness and satisfaction with our lives. These things help us break out of the mundane and help us feel less stagnate, more confident, and more fulfilled.
This last week, I've been on vacation. I was able to travel with my husband, mom, and one of my sisters. About a week before we left, my sister, Jess said that she'd like to try parasailing...and she wanted me to try it with her.
Neither of us are very fond of heights or open spaces, so my initial reaction was that I wasn't interested but promised I'd think about it. True to form, she was supportive and said she certainly didn't want to force me into anything I would find uncomfortable or scary. While the thought of seeing the island in an entirely new perspective, possibly seeing ocean life that would otherwise be invisible from the ground, and having a new experience with a loved one were all extremely appealing, the thought of being that far above ground was not appealing at all!
Still, my curiosity grew. I began to read about parasailing, searching for company reviews, written experiences from others, and began mentally preparing myself for the possibility of actually trying this. What I found was that most people found the experience to be an amazing one. Perhaps I was being silly. What was the worst that could happen? OK, lots of bad things could happen, but in all my reading I hadn't read a single horror story.
As we gathered ourselves to go through security at the airport on the outbound flight, I told Jess that I was down to fly. We were both able to share the excitement, nervousness, and anticipation. That in itself was a shared experience!
We decided to para-sail on the second morning of our trip. As we skimmed and signed, we were able to joke about the waiver (and possible death or dismemberment) and support each other through the growing anticipation. We awaited the boat to return and take us out. Oddly, I grew calm as the time to go came near.
The boat arrived. Together we kicked off our flip flops, walked out into and through the ocean water, out past the buoys, and climbed aboard the boat. We waited for our turn, basked in the sun, and were cooled by the boat-made breeze.
It was time. We were saddled up with life-vests and harnesses, clipped in place, given instructions, sat down with feet out, and away we went!
The expected roughness of take-off was non-existent. As the line was let out and the wind, speed, and parachute did their magic, we began to fly. What an amazing perspective that height provided. I had seen that island multiple times, but I had never seen it like this. There was no fear for me, but there was an odd serene-exhilaration. We even talked ourselves and each other into "no hands." We let go. We sank back with our feet swaying about 600 feet in the air. We saw the water, far beneath us. We saw the shoreline stretch on for miles. We saw sea turtles surface and dive. We saw each other smiling, soaring, and experiencing something new.
The trip would have been memorable anyway, but this was something Jess and I did together. We conquered some fears and built some confidence. We climbed down from that boat, walked back through the ocean water, and stepped onto the shore with something new. We have this to share for the rest of our lives.
I am so thankful for this experience!
This all plays into our talk for this week. Making room for fun in our lives and trying new things doesn't just give us something to talk about (though that is a positive as well), but it is also good for our health and well-being. Let's talk about what it does for us and why it's important.
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