Saturday 18 May 2013

New adventures

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For the last few years, my New Year's resolution has been the same every year: "New adventures". And on January 1st I'm full of anticipation and open for (just about) anything: I've gotten back into skiing one year (after a 9 year hiatus), tried snowmobiling, did a boot camp class. All these happened in January. (Even the boot camp. I regretted that one bitterly: The classes were held outside. In the dark, either at 6am or 6pm. I have to admit I never finished that one. Bummer. But the cold and I don't get along.)
Coincidence? Nope. All my good intentions usually peter out right around the time the last Christmas cookie has been eaten. The reason? I'm a scaredy cat.

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I want to be that person who is open to anything, tries new things, is spontaneous and adventurous. I love people like that. So cool and interesting. Living life to the fullest! 
There are bright moments when I either push myself to try something new or just feel reckless and daring for no particular reason.
But here is the sad reality: Given the choice between going out or staying in (watching Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother or old Two and a Half Men re-runs), my inclination is to stay in. Argh! The reason? Because I'm lazy. And a bit scared. It's very annoying.
 
I'm scared of
a) failing
b) getting hurt
c) making a fool of myself.
(or d) all of the above)
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And once in a while I need a little push or reminder that it's better to try and fail (there's no shame in that!) than not trying at all.
 
But thankfully, I have this little powerful tornado in my life in the form of my youngest stepdaughter Lea. She is everything I want to be: Strong, fearless, courageous. She is also a boxer (!!!). I keep wanting to do a class with her one day, but I'm too scared of getting hit. Obviously.
 
But she did manage to drag Richard and myself out of the house yesterday to watch the WBC Western Championship. It was awesome!
She knew a bunch of the boxers that were fighting. They train at her gym. Plus there were free tickets waiting at the door for us. So I felt very VIP-y in her company. And one of the guys thought I'm her sister! Always excellent for the old ego hehe. 
 
I only took a couple pictures that turned out quite blurry. Oh well, that's life.
The ring. Waiting for sweat, blood and tears.
Back to boxing. And life. I feel there is an analogy here, waiting for me to put into words, but I can't quite grasp it.
All I can say is how impressive it was, watching these young people fight. Being so passionate about something. Working so very hard towards a goal. Lea gave me a run-by-run commentary about what was happening so I could actually appreciate what was going on.
 
I learned yesterday that boxing is so much more than just trying to beat up the opponent: It's about strategy, staying calm, mastering the adrenaline, controlling the anger and fear. About living a healthy lifestyle. Discipline.
Boxers are very light on their feet: it looks like they are dancing, really beautiful.
It's also about respect: At the end the opponents shake hands, some hug, some are friends in real life.   
Watching that last night gave me fresh motivation to be braver in my life. Face fear, take chances.
Go back to what I really like to do: Practicing yoga again and work on my strength. I love feeling strong and lean. It's time to get back into the routine.
 
Lea is my role model: she's determined to succeed in whatever she tries. She hates to suck at something she's passionate about, so she does everything in her power to become good at it. And she succeeds! She is living proof that if you really want something and work hard enough, you will get it.
She's my inspiration!
 
xo Miriam
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1 comment

  1. that's the best resolution, new adventures! way more fun than 'losing weight'.

    and i love that your stepdaughter is your role model :) i always admire people who are truly passionate about something. we all need someone like that who inspires us to get up and do things ^^

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