Doing new things

[pegkerr]

sdn had an intriguing question here:

"i had dinner with a friend last night, and we talked about participating in activities that were out of our respective comfort zones.

knowing me, please suggest some things i can do that i might not have considered. jokes are fun but not entirely appreciated (i.e., "visit mars," "have a baby," "go white-water rafting!").

then i'll do them and tell you how they were.

I rather like this idea, since one of my greatest horrors has always been the thought that I might become too stultified and rigid, operating within a increasingly narrowing sphere as I age--although until I see how many suggestions I get, I think it would be rash to promise to do all of them. However, I will repeat her question: Knowing me, please suggest something for me to try that you think I can do but which I might not have considered trying before. If I do it, I will give you a report.

(I suggested, by the way, that sdn take a karate class.)

Comments

[coyotegoth.livejournal.com]

Have you ever sung solo in public? If not, that could be a good start.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Yes, I have! I have often done solo special music or been the cantor (leading the kyrie) at my church. I also sang as a soloist at a wedding once.

[skylarker.livejournal.com]

Have you sung along with a filk circle?

[gamps-garret.livejournal.com]

If white water rafting is in the "impossible" list, then I suggest that you try kayaking at some point. Rivers, lakes, oceans -- kayaking is possible in all, but very different in paddling style and type of craft. I think it would be good for you to try because of the physical strength is requires and develops in the upper body (would really demonstrate how strong you are for more than just karate and picking up after your family), but there's also an incredible rush to be felt after conquering an activity *atop* a body of water. I think you'd be fabulous.

[naomikritzer]

International folkdancing at Tapestry.

It's fun, social, and excellent exercise. Fer Horn (a good friend of mine you've probably at least run into at Wiscon) teaches there. If you decide to follow up on this I can have her decypher their calendar and tell you which days would be your best bet for just showing up and learning some dances.

(I haven't gone in years, mind you. But you might find it really fun.)

[naomikritzer]

(And I mention this as a boundary-stretching exercise because so many people I know find the idea of dancing intimidating unless they're intoxicated. Also, many women were told at some point that they were the wrong body type -- i.e., not completely anorexic -- for "dance" -- i.e., ballet. Fer Horn was told that she was too fat and clumsy to dance as a lithe eight-year-old, IIRC; her dance classes were at a ballet school that was actually a feeder school for one of the big ballet companies. International folk dance is dance as done by European peasants, for the most part, and anyone with any body shape and size can participate. There are women's line dances that are clearly all about showing off your fabulous baby-birthin' hips.)

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Someone already urged me to go to Tapestry awhile ago to check out the contra dancing, since I love Jane Austen. I hadn't gotten around to it, but I see they have contra dancing on Fridays, so perhaps I will try it.

[tinymich.livejournal.com]

I was about to suggest dance, and I have to concur that contra would be PERFECT for you. I've contra danced a few times at fairs and not only is it exhilarating (you prance and you twirl and you spin), but it is indeed very Austen - a fact I'd never noticed till you pointed it out.

I'd love to hear your report back. =)

Another thought I had was that, since you grew up a ballerina, to try a modern dance class - along the lines of Graham or Tharp. Different approach to body movement and expression. But I'm not sure I could give any pointers as to where to go find that in the Twin Cities, so contra would be much more doable an immediate suggestion.

[liadan-m.livejournal.com]

cool! I'm going to have to try that.

[nmsunbear.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's another thing I've been wanting to ty! There's a folk-dance group at First Unitarian. Unfortunately, they dance on volleyball night. :) But when the season is over, I need to get myself there.

[magentamn.livejournal.com]

Thank you for remindng me about Tapestry. I've been meaning to try it for months.

[liadan-m.livejournal.com]

Knitting/crocheting. Good meditative activities that can be done in snached minutes or when waiting for something else to happen. I usually keep a small project in my purse for waiting for professor's office hours...It might be something for when you're waiting to pick up the girls.

[jbru.livejournal.com]

How about rock climbing? You could start at a climbing wall (like the one at REI) and "graduate" to an actual rock face.

[nmsunbear.livejournal.com]

I don't know you that well, but I've been trying to stretch a bit and take risks myself, so I will mention the things I've tried recently:

Inviting people over on the spur of the moment, without worrying too much about whether the house is clean (it never is, which was keeping us from having guests);

Volunteering for a political campaign (I haven't gotten a reply yet, but I imagine I'll be working phones or pounding the pavement);

Working out with a personal trainer (a wonderful experience, but expensive);

Joining a discussion group at my UU church.

I also want to participate in one of the outreach dinners my church sponsors at a halfway house for people who have recently been released from prison.

Most of these are social risks; right now I'm feeling a powerful need for more people in my life, so that's the direction I'm going. Other things I want to try but haven't yet: a bellydance class (I am a size 22-24, which has made that all the more daunting); kayaking; writing a mystery novel (I am intimidated by the careful plotting necessary).

I hope you take some risks that open wonderful doorways for you!

[weaselmom.livejournal.com]

::crosstalk:: You have people over on the spur of the moment without a clean house? How do you *DO* this without completely falling apart? I guess it depends on how "not clean" the house is. This is something I really struggle with (thanks, Mom!) and would like to hear how you survive it.

[nmsunbear.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm far from a neatnik anyway. My mother wasn't (isn't) much of a housekeeper. But basically I just decided that *I* would rather be invited over to a dirty house than not invited over at all, and so most other people probably felt the same way. And that we were all doing major damage to our social lives and our network of friends by being so concerned about it.

So I just do it. I may mention along with the invitation that the house is kind of a mess, or that if you've got a big problem with a dirty kitchen floor maybe you don't want to come make meatballs with me. And I try to straighten, and make sure the sink and toilet in the guest bath are clean. But I don't sweat it.

So far I haven't noticed anyone making faces of disgust or anything.

[malinaldarose.livejournal.com]

Learn Latin. Or Russian. Or Gaelic. Or some other non-Romance language.

[angeyja.livejournal.com]

.. Icelandic? I had German already (a little!) and Icelandic made my brain do hop skips.

[folk.livejournal.com]

I suggest Finnish, for the Minnesotan link and because it's just a really nifty yet ultimately impractical language.

Singing

[markiv1111.livejournal.com]

I was amused to note that "solo singing" was the first thing anybody suggested. I'm going to take it one step further: Learn a song nicely and solidly that a good bar band would be expected to know -- and go down to a nightclub on "open stage" night (not that there are a whole lot of these, these days) and sing this song into a microphone on stage.

Nate B.

[ame-chan.livejournal.com]

Go out swing dancing. :-)

[madlori.livejournal.com]

Go to a Goth club. Dressed Goth, of course.

[morganmalfoy.livejournal.com]

I love this icon, I need it!

And for Peg...something you may not have tried before...have you ever tried painting? even if you're terrible, it's pretty fun to have paint and canvas and feel artsy.

[nmsunbear.livejournal.com]

Don't know if you have a Costco membership, Peg, but if you do they sometimes have a little French easel set with paints, brushes, and a canvas for $40. Sure, the quality's pretty bad, but Arne found it entirely satisfactory for his brief experimentation with painting.

[aome.livejournal.com]

Try a new ethnic food, or something on a more familiar menu that you haven't dared try before.

How about even something more mundane, like rearrange your usual daily routines? Even if it's just changing the order you usually wash/shampoo/conditioner or brush teeth/shower/dress or whatever - some small change can shake up the 'comfort zone' by preventing you from going on auto-pilot and making you more aware of your day and activities.

Go to one of the makeup counters at a department store for a free makeover, and try new colors you might not usually consider, even if you don't purchase anything.

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

Ah; so to *really* stress your limits, try spending three months without doing *anything* you haven't done regularly recently. :-)

[weaselmom.livejournal.com]

Alter a book! If that doesn't take you out of your comfort zone, nothing will. =)

[dreamcoat-mom.livejournal.com]

You sing well, and you are very expressive. Have you thought about getting involved in a community theater production? It is a great way to meet a whole new circle of people and accomplish something big as part of a team. The time commitment might scare you off, but it can be very rewarding, especially if you do it as a family.

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

Take yourself out to dinner at a good restaurant. Just yourself, nobody else.

[tassie-gal.livejournal.com]

TAke a fencing class. There are a few clubs in MN IIRC. Try www.fencing.net to find one.
OR make an outfit.....teach yourself to sew clothes.

[handworn.livejournal.com]

Participate in a living-history event. Lots of fun.

[jcberk.livejournal.com]

Record a podcast. You've made audio posts, and you've linked to music you enjoy, so it's just one more step to edit everything together and have a creation to show off. Maybe tell a Christmas story?