“A
mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old
dimensions.” -- Oliver Wendall Holmes, Jr.
In the months before my 45th birthday, I had what
one might call an old fashioned mid-life crisis. It manifested itself
internally rather than in the more stereotypical ways we have all witnessed. As
I did this internal evaluation, I knew that as much as I had enjoyed my life, I
wanted to keep growing, expanding and experiencing rather than growing ever
more comfortable and complacent in my “zone.” So, my birthday gift to myself
was a challenge: Do 45 new things over the next year.
I hiked the Narrows in Zion .
I got myself to Bryce
Canyon Carlsbad Caverns .
I got my first pedicure, did a zip line adventure, read Thoreau, consciously
tried new ways of dealing with patterns in my most significant relationships,
got certified as a Life Coach, and the list goes on.
About a month ago, I downloaded a free trial of some “mind
mapping” software to use in my coaching. I have always been intimidated by
technology and it was completely unlike me to experiment with software with
such reckless abandon. What had gotten into me? I was going to add this to the
list of 45! Or wait--- was this new behavior a result of the list of 45? What I did know was that I had subtly
changed.
A year has passed, and on my 46th birthday, my
sons and I boarded a plane for Puerto
Vallarta as I have done for the past 23 years. On the
plane, I looked at the “45” list in the back of my journal, somewhat in awe. I
was beginning to see the ways in which the impact of these new experiences
permeated into all areas of my life. And
then I noticed that the list stopped at 43; I didn’t actually meet my goal.
The weather in Mexico was unusual while we were
there, and one morning I found myself completely alone on the beach, sitting
under a palapa, while it poured down
rain. It was beautiful, and I made a mental note to remember how peaceful I
felt in that moment. When my sons arrived, they of course went straight to the
water. The air was cool, but I pulled off my cover-up, ran through the rain,
and submerged in the Pacific in spite of the storm. When I came up for air, I
looked toward the mountains emerging through the dark clouds in the distance. What
an incredible morning it had been.
Then it hit me; I had never experienced the beauty of a
sitting on the beach alone during a storm. Nor had I ever been swimming in the
ocean while it poured down rain. And with that realization, my list of “45” was
complete.
Many Blessings,
