Today I ate lunch. A fast, easy, inexpensive $0.68 TV dinner. It didn’t take me long to realize that the picture featured on the front of the TV dinner box was not an accurate depiction of the food I pulled out of the microwave. Lesson learned; $0.68 does not buy you any sort of visual appeal, but it does provide an unusual sort of pure deliciousness. So next time I eat a meal like that, I might blindfold myself.
As I was eating my steamy mozzarella lasagna in a cardboard box, I felt strangely excited. I felt excited about doing something new. The TV dinner was insignificant, but the feeling it evoked was powerful. It was a feeling I’ve had many times before – the feeling of being on the brink of something different, embarking on uncharted Kristina territories. The feeling of something new.
In my life, new experiences have always been the most empowering. When I stretch myself, when I let myself evolve into something greater than what I was, I find my happy. I try to find my happy every day…in the little things, like when I took a kayaking class, competed in a pageant, started a business, remodeled a commercial space…when I let myself wear casual clothes, and did the YMCA on the dugout at the Rainiers Game.
So I can rescue myself from a capsized kayak, I can walk on stage in a swimsuit, I am capable of taking big risks, my drywall patching skills are bomb, I feel comfortable wearing blue jeans with holes, and I can dance in front of crowds. I felt happy. Big whoop.
But actually, it is a big whoop…let me tell you why. All of these things expanded me outside of my comfort zone. These experiences defied the limitations I set for myself and helped me change my mind about myself. In each of those moments, I didn’t let myself fall for some bogus story telling me that I couldn’t…that I shouldn’t…that I wouldn’t. Because guess what? I did it…I had fun with it. I let go of fear, grabbed some crayons, and colored outside of the lines in my life. It was messy and emotional; it was frisky and exciting; it was scary and exhilarating. That’s called living. Welcome to life.
Through stretching yourself, you gain range. Through allowing, you experience fun. Through dreaming, you create momentum. Don’t underestimate the power of little things and when you stop judging yourself and start enjoying new experiences, you may just surprise yourself.
So go, get out of here and live it up. Let your life expand, let your heart imagine. Care less about restraints and be more playful. Do something you’ve never done before, even if that means eating a $0.68 microwave meal. Color outside of the lines…let it be new and different…let happy find you.
In appreciation,
Kristina
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