Blog Posts - TERRI HOFSTETTER

Magic, Divine Intervention, or Chance?

10/13/2017

Recently, I saw an interview with Jimmy Page, talking about how he formed Led Zeppelin. He knew of Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones from other bands they were in while Jimmy was in the Yardbirds. He had a vision of what he wanted his new band to sound like, but how it happened, he said, was like ‘divine intervention’. The Yardbirds split up suddenly, and players happen to appear at the right time and the right place. He implied that he met them by chance. Bonham wasn’t even in London. He was in Birmingham at the time.

Page went on to say that at the time he met Bonham, he was not the drummer he would become in Led Zeppelin; or somehow, he was meant to be ‘Bonzo’ of Led Zeppelin. Nor were John Paul Jones and Robert Plant the artists they were yearning to be. They were all good, but somehow the group synergy made the band form in a magical way, and all 4 musicians quickly grew together, revealing their true individual geniuses. Songs were written quickly and easily, and within a year, they were a phenomenal success.

Sure, it might have been divine intervention. In fact, I’m positive it was. I agree that the magic of Led Zeppelin is rare; but I think it happens all around us in lesser degrees and we may not even notice it.

Most importantly, Jimmy Page had a vision. He had been thinking of it before he joined the Yardbirds. He focused on it for a couple years. He knew what songs he wanted to do, and how he wanted them to sound. He could hear them in his head. He focused on that vision, and didn’t lose sight (or sound) of it.

I imagine he knew who he wanted to hire once he started his quest. He contacted them and they joined. It all fell into place. Or they magically appeared at the right time. It was almost as if they were all destined to meet, and somewhere, in another vortex, or time-space, Led Zeppelin always existed.

We could use this example with other bands, theater groups, creative collaborations or even businesses. Someone has the vision, or all the members have the same vision, and it takes form. If everyone is in sync with the creative forces, it works like magic. I’ll add that people on the same wavelength attract each other when everyone is on the same frequency.

Have you ever met someone by chance, and look back years later, and you can’t imagine not having them in your life?

We’re all on a path to excellence. Once we are in alignment with our dreams, everything falls into place.

What do you want to create?

Do you have a Wanderlust?

8/30/2017

My friend Chad loves to travel. It might stem from growing up in Australia, where one has to fly 5 hours to get to the next country, and traveling is a novelty. Whatever the reason, he’s learned that his travels have led him to meet amazing people and experience different cultures. If he stays home too long, the Wanderlust, as he calls it, pulls him so strongly that he can’t ignore it or refuse the call.

He talks about his wanderlust in personified form. ‘When it calls me…” but I know he wants to call it he or she. To me, the Wanderlust is an unsettled feeling, an inner searching for something we really need to find for ourselves.

Not all of us have a calling to travel. Photographers sometimes wake up with an overwhelming urge to go out and take pictures. They might say their camera calls them, almost like a dog scratching on the door to go for a walk. Musicians say their instruments call them to pick it up and play. B.B. King named his guitar Lucille. I see snowboarders fidget when the first snow falls in the mountains, even if the mountains are a couple hundred miles away (actually, that’s me). I’ve watched surfers running across the beach at dawn to catch the first waves. Artists pick up their paintbrushes or pencils not knowing what’s going to end up on the paper, while writers jump to their keyboards in a flurry.

Some of us like to try different things in order to find out what’s calling us. One day it’s a flea market; the next day a museum; another day a concert or sports event.
I truly believe all of us have had the call come to us in one way or another at times.

Sometimes we answer and sometimes we don’t.
When an unsettled feeling comes over us, we can be sure that we didn’t answer the call.
My theory is the call comes from our inner self or our soul. It knows more what’s better for us.

I get called to a particular vacation or weekend trip, a class or retreat, a project, write a blog, or go for a walk – all kinds of things. I get curious, and find out what it is – then I go.

Have you heard the call?

What happens when you answer?

What happens when you don’t?

Chad visited us for a few days. He shared with us stories of his previous visits as we watched his posts on facebook the preceding weeks before his arrival. He seemed to enjoy everything he did and didn’t seem to judge any experience or prioritize. We introduced him to friends and saw how eager he was to ‘interview’ everyone he met. People seemed to be drawn to him and strangers started conversations. It looked like things just fell into his lap – but then I think he let things happen.
He said that ‘the Universe provides’ what we need. All he has to do is answer the call.

The call can be a long-awaited move to a new lifestyle, or it can be a nice experience that we don’t want to miss. It could be an urge to take a course or apply for a certain job. You never know what it brings you.

Find out what your Wanderlust is….

If you haven’t had a call, or remember doing so, I encourage you to watch out for it for the next couple weeks and see what comes up. ….and let me know what happens.

Please feel free to comment below if you have something to share.

If this post sounds familiar to you, and you want to find out more about wanderlust or calling,
I would be happy to talk to you about it.
You can schedule a free 30 minute consultation with me here

Join other calling searchers on my Facebook group - Soul Adventure Network

You can find more stories on my blog: http://www.terrihofstetter.com/blog

To find your soul's calling, you have to look for it.

6/29/2017

While visiting Sifnos, Greece recently, I enjoyed chatting with the shopkeepers. Most were friendly, especially the pottery goods and gift shops.

One particular shop was a Greek food product shop. The shelves were packed with teas, honey, spices, and sauces - more than anyone could dream of taking home. It would take a good 45 minutes to actually see everything in the shop, much less to read the labels and really think about what you would want to buy. The shopkeeper was enthusiastically friendly and apparently very proud of his products. He was eager to talk about each item and the source, and even perhaps the history of the product or it’s source. If one was patient and listened to his spiel, he might offer a sample of some of his local wines or liquors.

My friend Emily asked me if I would join her on the last day before her departure. She wanted to pick up a couple of gifts for her friends and, she admitted, perhaps you can rescue me if that guy talks too much…

So Emily looked around, through the soaps, wooden spoons and other gift items, while I made small talk. “It seems you really love what you do here; you offer such nice items and enjoy talking about them to your customers…”

He frowned. “Actually, I don’t. I had a great career working with television in Athens. That was what I loved, but I had to give it up.” My curiosity got the best of me. I live for getting to talk to people about their careers and life’s calling. “What happened?”

Emily glanced up from the coffee mugs, trying to hold back. He went on to tell me about his experience. It appeared that he had been a news reporter and loved getting the real story, hearing from the people, “I loved being behind the camera,” he paused “but I was forced to stick the camera in the people’s faces.” He hated it, but he had to leave, ‘because that’s what I really wanted to do…”
I added, “It sounds like the job went against your integrity.” He nodded. By then Emily (also a coach) had her purchase at the counter, and was jumping in. “Is there something else you would rather do? What would you enjoy?” We were just warming up, and he was saved by the bell – phone. He put the things in the bag as he spoke in Greek to the caller. I wanted to ask him, if he could go back in a different situation, would he do the work again. I’m not sure if I could have conveyed the concept with the language barrier, or if he would have wanted to discuss it.

An hour later, we were having lunch and both sorting it out. We agreed that we couldn’t shut our curiosity off or resist trying to help, but we knew it was none of our business. “You know,” Emily began, “He could do so much for this island, doing TV programs or features for the culture and businesses here. It would be amazing. He loves his camera, and can do so much for the world in a positive way. But I don’t think he’s ready to hear it. He would have to discover that himself.”

Sometimes people have to find their own way to live their passion and life’s calling. No one can show it to them. It’s a journey we all have to take on our own. We both knew we could help him find it, but he would have to be ready to take that first step, and we both sensed that he was too filled with anger to see it.

Had he been ready to see his calling, he would have expressed his wishes to do something else with film, brought up an idea he had, or in some way talked more about what he liked about his career. At this point, all he could see is that he was stuck in the store, trying to make ends meet.

I didn’t see him again before I went home a few days later. It would be interesting to see what else was going on – perhaps that’s just my curiosity.

We can be so blocked in our current situations; we’re not ready to see a new possibility. However, if we wish for a way out, we can get help with the blocks that are holding us back.   Some of my clients come to me at the point where they are still in that hole, with the job that goes against their integrity and values. They feel sold out. Sometimes they reach me at the stage our storekeeper was: they bailed out, but don’t know what to do next. Either way, I’ve been able to help them conquer the blocks and brainstorm with them on reaching their dreams. It’s amazing to me when I see the person make the shift to new possibilities.

Live your adventure, find your soul's calling.
Terri

If this story sounds familiar to you, and you want to find out more about finding your calling,
I would be happy to talk to you about it.
You can schedule a free 30 minute consultation with me here

Join other soul calling searchers on my Facebook group - Soul Adventure Network

You can find more stories on my blog: http://www.terrihofstetter.com/blog

Greece Discovery

5/30/2017

I've recently returned from my Greece Discovery trip. It was an amazing trip, and much more than I expected. The week included 3 hiking days through walking paths over 400 years old, (each with a different flair but with breathtaking views over sea or mountains); plus one cultural discovery day, featuring a visit to an organic farm to chat with a farmer/restaurateur; a pottery shop where we learned about 3rd generation pottery business; and a medieval fortress where people still live in renovated 300 year old homes with 1000 year old columns on the sidewalks. Each experience had lessons to learn, and our teachers were the local villagers, dogs, donkeys, cats, goats, birds and even lizards. Everywhere we found messages for ourselves, and we learned that once we set an intention, the Universe aligns to give us our answers.

Walking on paths used for centuries gives a new outlook. We can learn from following the trails, visualizing where people went and what they did, and from observing our surroundings and thinking of how people lived during earlier times. Though the paths are renovated and organized in a modern scheme with downloadable apps, and most people travel with cars and motorbikes; some of the locals still use the trails for foot passage (or by donkey) to their farms or some of the 365 chapels and churches on the island. We met hikers from the UK, Germany and France along the way, sharing the joy of discovery.

We were guided by the warmth of the sun, the sound of the wind, rain and ocean, and the feel of the earth beneath our feet to discover more of our inner self and purpose. Watching the sun drop into the sea from a 600 meter mountaintop was a perk.

We visited George at his farm and heard about his family history, ‘water-free’ gardening, Sifnos history and the change of culture in the early 80’s with tourism; all while sampling goat cheese his father still makes and the wonderful organic wine; then we drove to the restaurant on the beach where his son serves the tourists the fantastic local products with a view.

Giannis greeted us at his pottery workshop with the familiar form of hello – Yiassu - and offered us a cappuccino freddo and chatted with us about his family history and the island’s history of pottery making while he busily worked away on an order for a hotel in Athens. We came to learn the hospitality of offering guests something when they visit, as we were distinguished from average customers.

A highlight was the visit to the ancient acropolis, dating as early as 1300 BC., with evidence of human activity in the area dating 4000 BC – even hiking past olive terraces dating to that time period. We used our intuition and imagination to tune into what might have occurred in the area before reading the historical data. It was quite an experience, opening up connections to people passing by thousands of years earlier.

Not to miss the amazing churches and chapels, some just big enough to seat 2 or 3, with incredible energy from the prayer power. Just after Easter, some of them were adorned with lovely arrangements of lilies, and garden fruits.

Live your discovery --
Terri

Look for more blog posts as I recount stories of all of our adventures in Greece at:
http://www.terrihofstetter.com/blog
To find out about my 2018 Greece Discovery trip, sign up for my Greece Discovery newsletter:

The Magic of Sifnos

3/15/2017

My husband and I discovered Sifnos in 2013. We had been to Greece 5 times over the previous 9 years, and loved discovering new islands and new cultures. Then we read about a small island with no travel agencies, no airport which basically sustained its business on individuals who come back just because they love the island. It sounded so appealing that we were willing to take the risk and try it out.

With some research, we booked a hotel room, flights to Athens, along with our ferry tickets, walked up to a friendly family run hotel, 5 minutes from exiting the ferry. We thought it would be a relaxing place to spend 2 weeks. What we discovered was a home away from home, and a world where we could immerse ourselves within where we could thrive. After 3 or 4 days, we already felt ourselves sinking in -not just being relaxed, but noticing things – the way the gentle breeze felt on our faces; the smell of the thyme and oregano on the fields where we walked; the sound of the waves and the wind; the blue of the sky and sea, the layers of olive terraces; and of course, the taste of the sumptuous food and wine. We even walked slower and greeted the locals in their tone of voice. I’m not sure how it happened, but something about this island had grown on us.

We stopped looking at our tour guidebooks to decide what to do for the day – we enjoyed an extended breakfast at a café with the locals, and just went where our hunches told us. The shopkeepers didn’t talk to us like tourists anymore. They greeted us like locals. Soon, we were staying in a shop for 45 minutes, chatting with the shopkeepers. One pottery shop owner invited us to sit with him for a cappuccino. We weren’t sure what had changed about us, but it felt right.

We talked to some of the other tourists, and discovered that some of them had been coming to SIfnos for 30 years. That’s what it was. There was an appeal that brought people back year after year. This island was home to people.

Then the Magic started….

As we sank in and allowed things to happen, we met amazing people, discovered little surprises like flowers blooming where they shouldn’t; cats greeting us and hanging out with us; and wishing for a particular food, only to find it was the special of the day at a tavern a few hours later. The other tourists played a role, too. Someone we had talked to at breakfast would suddenly appear at a site late in the afternoon. Lots of coincidences and synchronicities would happen in conversation.

On one occasion, we followed the directions for an enjoyable hike given to us from a local. As we passed the appropriate landmarks, we found things that personally meant something to each of us – for example, I love blooming mimosa trees. At the turn on the path, there was one in full bloom in front of the house. It was 2 weeks out of season for blooming! Then, we approached the church, hoping it would be open. Discovering it locked, we decided to cool off in the shade sipping our water. After 5 minutes, the priest walked up with his dog, smiling, and motioned us to come inside. He pointed out artifacts in the church for us. We still wonder if he somehow knew we were there, and felt the pull; or perhaps his dog alerted him to open the church for us.

I have more stories to share in a future blog, so stay tuned….

As I pondered upon all the magic, I developed a process of creating more. Every morning at breakfast, my husband and I would start by setting the intention that we would be led to what we needed to experience – then watch for new things to come up. The results have been amazing.

This is all part of my Greek Discovery Trip in May. I’ll teach tools to connect to nature, helping my clients to discover their inner selves. I'll combine my coaching techniques with manifestation concepts to discover the Magic of Sifnos.

http://www.terrihofstetter.com/greece-discovery-trip.html

Do you have a call to adventure??

1/10/2017

Larry Daley saved the world. To be more specific, he saved the magical world of the museum.
I absolutely love watching the Night at the Museum movies. I can watch them over and over again. Its great clean fun and adventure.

This is a classic example of the Hero’s Adventure story.
Larry Daley just wanted a job - his last resort to getting joint custody rights for his son. He wanted something easy that he could just show up for. He thought he had an easy cop-out job as a night watchman. What he discovered was a new magical world of adventure. He found himself in a mission. After his first night on the job, when dinosaur skeletons came to life, Attila the Hun almost had him quartered and half of the exhibit was roaming the streets of New York, he was ready to quit. He planned not to show up the next night, and just slip away.
The refusal to the call.

When he realized that there was something to the magic, and only he could save this world, he returned. There was something he saw that no one else did, and it was up to him. He researched history and learned a little about Sacagawea, various wars and animal habitats. He even accepted assistance from Teddy Roosevelt.
He prepared for his mission – the return to the call.

He learned that the magic was in the golden tablet, and that the previous employees of the museum were planning to steal it, for their own gain. Suddenly, he felt the importance of it all. He fought to save the tablet, in order to keep the magic in the museum artifacts.
He protected the sacred item from falling into evil hands.

He had an amazing talent in negotiation, diplomacy and team building. With his charm and wit, he managed to tame a mischievous monkey, a primitive warrior, and win over the respect of a roman gladiator as well as a rebellious cowboy.
He discovered his inner genius.

Over the next two movies, he gathered his team, including General Custer, Amelia Earhart, Dexter the monkey and an Egyptian Pharaoh, to help save the museum. He used his quick thinking and trusted his instincts to work out the plan, always happening to slide through at the last moment.
He gathered his allies and used his intuition while trusting in an unknown force.

He fought many challenges and trials along the way, and felt like giving up at times. Still, he carried on. With no other way to turn; in the final movie, he confided to the museum curator about the magic, well knowing that he would be fired; in one final hope to get the tablet and the Pharaoh to London to save the museum. He needed to solve the mystery.
He held his dedication to his mission at all costs and was willing to do whatever it took to pursue his calling.

Okay, this is a fantasy story; and even so, ‘calls to adventure’ aren’t always as dramatic or clear. Sometimes they come as nudges. They’re not always big huge things or life changing events. They could be something small such as working more on your photography; perhaps starting to play piano; or maybe you suddenly feel pulled to help out a neighbor or volunteer for a local agency. It could simply be a new interest in something you want to pursue. It may not seem like much at first, but could develop into something more pronounced. Just pay attention to your nudges, and if they blossom into a full-fledged yank on the collar, be aware.

What's your call to adventure?

If this hits home to you in any way, or you have a parallel example to share, please feel invited to comment below. If you would like to know more, please email me at terri@terrihofstetter.com

"No hero's journey ever ends, and your next adventure is already happening. The moment you accept the call to adventure, the road of trials begins finding its way from your unconscious awareness into your consciousness, freeing and expanding your Imagination, helping you become the healing you hope to create." - Martha Beck

Immersion

12/28/2016

I spent a week in an English immersion program for Germans, where my only task was to talk and listen for 14 hours a day. It was fun, fun, fun, but exhausting at times. I do this three times a year, and am always happy to come back for more.

Why do I do it? For one, I love meeting awesome people from around the world. Truthfully, I’m always waiting to see the transformation. On the first day, students arrive nervous and self-conscious, wondering what they’ve got themselves into. They hesitate with pronunciations and search for words. By the end of the third day, something amazing happens. After dinner, I see two students speaking English with each other, like they’ve known each other for years - like they’ve spoken English for years. As I eavesdrop on the conversation, I listen for mistakes, but too tired to correct them anyway. Surprise! I can’t hear any mistakes.

Here’s what happens. They’re speaking English, totally immersed for 14 hours a day, for 5 ½ days. There’s no room for German in their minds. We’re not allowed to speak anything but English and no one is able to speak their native language. There is no time to sneak in a German conversation and little time to contact family or coworkers by phone. Eventually, the brain is programmed to think in English. Some of the students report dreaming in English.

At the end of the week, the students are amazed at how their English has improved. The volunteer native speakers are amazed too.

So what if this worked for other things…. Immerse your thoughts into whatever it is you want to accomplish, learn or create, and not let anything interfere or contradict from what you want to do. If we focus on one thought or intention and don’t allow anything else to distract, then how would it work for programming our minds?

It could be sort of like the Mozart effect, or examples of geniuses, such as Einstein, Tesla, etc.

When we meditate, we can repeat a chant or phrase over and over to keep our minds from wandering. We state affirmations over and over, (or perhaps just a couple times a day) to get a wanted result.

What if you concentrated for an entire week, all you’re waking hours only on thoughts and words that supported the outcome you wanted?

I was amazed to hear what a friend of mine has been doing the last couple weeks. She lives in a sort of parallel life: while she goes through her daily routines, she focuses her mind on the life she wants to be living, actually imaging herself being in that life. For example, she said yesterday, while walking with one of her elderly clients in the cold crisp Germany winter air, she felt the warmth of the sun and smelled the sea breeze - while she's over 400 miles inland! She maintains this focus most of the day, and has noticed a considerable shift in just a few days. I love the synchronicity that she was doing this at the exact time I was writing this blog! I'm starting to believe there are no accidents in the world.

I invite you to ponder upon this awhile, and see what might come up in your mind. If you have any thoughts to share, I welcome your comments below.

Are you in alignment with your inner self?

10/26/2016

I left my corporate job just before the crash hit. It was similar to a scene in Ben Stiller's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty where employees were bracing themselves for the pink slip which would eventually delivered. Who would be next? I had been wanting to leave for almost a year, since our new director arrived. I had always entertained my dream of having my own business, helping people find their dreams; but as the tension built up, the dream strangely seemed so far away. At that point, I wanted to find the easiest part time job to jump onto like a life raft from a sinking ship which would transport me to my next cruise ship.

Recounting this to a fellow intuitive coach recently, I explained that for so many years, I hid my intuitive side on the workplace. I didn't want to expose my soft underbelly to the cruel, competitive world. What I had actually done was blocked my intuition. She nodded in understanding and injected, “What you were doing was actually bringing you out of alignment with your soul. You know that now, don't you?” I agreed as I explained to her how it took me a long time to get it back.

Anytime we hide our inner selves, or who we really are, it blocks us. We might think we have it covered, and are protecting ourselves, but it's in-congruent with our true self and keeps us further away from our purpose.

As a snowboard instructor, I learned to teach that when our bodies are out of alignment with the board, itself, or the terrain; any movement we make is out of balance. The result can be exhaustion, lack of efficiency or worse yet – a crash. Through practice, we can learn how to feel if our bodies are in alignment, and more relaxed and efficient with our riding. We will notice if we have our 'Zen' or not, and quickly make adjustments. It takes training and practice as a snowboarder or skier. It's the same in life. We have to know who we are first, and know what our inner self feels like, then we can practice staying in alignment and learning what it is that gets us out of alignment. We have to remind ourselves what makes us calm, secure and happy, – or tired, depressed, and angry.

As I found myself in my job, stressed out and angry, I would long to be somewhere else, waiting for the time when I could go home and 'be myself' again. It never occurred to me that I couldn't change from myself to not being myself like pushing a switch. A big part of being in touch with myself is knowing who I was, and being authentic to myself. I was proud of the role that I played on the job. I didn't realize that I was lying to myself, too. Also, what I didn't know was that if I could vision where I wanted to be and master that feeling within myself, I would eventually get closer to where I wanted to be.

The first step to getting back to ourselves is admitting to ourselves that we're off course. Then we can find out what steps we have to make to get back.

What are things that you do that makes you feel free, blissful, energetic and on top of the world? Find times to incorporate those things into your life, and remove as many of the things that don't light you up. Pull yourself away from those things that drain you. Eventually, you can start making the shift, and keeping yourself in alignment. In turn, more things that light you up will appear in your life.

Is your ideal career what you think it is?

7/31/2016

Back in my 20’s, when I was trying to find myself in a career field, I observed people in their work. I viewed various career fields as I saw them on the surface, making my definition from my own perceptions. There were lots of things I wanted to do, and some were made up in my own mind.

One example that sticks in my mind was an HR rep in our corporation I met in the mid-90’s; whom I’ll call Daniel R. He was always ready to greet managers and front-line employees with a smile and warm handshake, seemed to have time to talk with them about their rights, while supporting and empowering them in their career goals; no problem was too big for him to solve. He was about my age, professionally dressed, and regardless of his hourly wage, appeared to be quite successful. I can remember for years, whenever anyone had a problem, I would tell them, “Just call Daniel. He’ll take care of it.” He politely resolved the issue of a problem employee, with all parties satisfied.

I would love to have Daniel’s job, I thought. It seems so rewarding.

Years later, after he was promoted twice (as was I) he was working more with managers and directors than with front-line employees. As office manager of one of the branch offices, I talked to him occasionally about recruitment procedures in our office, but rarely visited his office in those days. On a rare occasion, I was invited to his office to chat for a few minutes. It was lovely talking about personal topics and life in general for a change. We both remembered how we met almost 10 years before. “We’ve come a long way,” we sighed together. I complimented his smartly decorated office.

A short time later, we heard the announcement that Daniel had resigned and would be starting his own business. We were all sad to see him go, but of course very happy for him. He hinted that he was tired of playing the game, and that under the pressures of current leadership, he found it difficult to serve his clients as he wished.

Fast forward a few more years, and I had his job at another branch office. I saw the job more clearly, including everything behind the scenes . Suddenly, I was in Daniel’s shoes and was limited to serving my clients as I wished. It was not at all the job I had envisioned. It was Daniel that I admired.

Daniel followed his heart and moved on; as I eventually did. I have more and more admiration for him and his ethics. He was a role model for me.

Now when I look back, I see it all so clear. When we think of our dream careers, it’s not the job description. It’s how we want to serve our people, and how we want to feel every day when we go to work. Once we can picture it and find the ideal image, it can be brought into our life. It may not be a particular job title. When we make the mistake of confusing the two, I call it the Daniel R. Syndrome.

Once I got that clear in my mind, I was able to find my calling, as Daniel did it several years earlier. I saw why I looked up to Daniel, and wanted to be just like him. I realize now, that that his integrity, loyalty and concern for his clients was how I wanted to model my life. Looking at my life, I realize I did just that.

When you visualize your dream job or career, think of how your daily life will look. See the images of the people you want to work with, the team you want to be a part of, your workspace, every detail of your ideal career. If you have a role model, then start being him or her now. That’s how you get there…

How can we add more fun, risk and adventure into our lives?

6/1/2016

Last summer, at my husband’s family reunion, we enjoyed an unexpected hot summer day. We gathered at his cousin’s farm, with lots of space for activity, but some of us preferred the shade. Generation-1 (aged 70+) sat in the cool barn/garage/party hall, while Generation-2 (us) hung out on the patio in the shade with our beers. Generation-3 bombed each other with water balloons and squirt guns while the few Generation-4’s either hung anxiously onto mom’s shorts or adventurously hopped onto Great Grandma’s roller scooter, circling the driveway. Somewhere along the line, one of the Gen-3’s (about 20) showed up with a snake board and dared his cousins to ride it down the hill. I joined my husband and 2 other Gen-2’s to watch and take pictures.

Soon after my stepson Robert tried it out, with some success, someone asked me if I wanted to give it a try. I hesitated. I’ve been snowboarding almost 20 years. I learned to kayak; tried rollerblading decades ago; done some high ropes courses; have whitewater rafted a few times; and lots of daring things. Lately, I’ve been pretty comfortable with my competence in adventure sports. I’ve successfully turned down attempts at wild things the past few couple years. Why try something new now? Too late to teach an old dog new tricks….

Robert assured me the concept was not much different than snowboarding as far as balance – except, of course the board moves, it has wheels, and it travels on concrete rather than snow. “Besides, you’ve taught hundreds of people to snowboard, so you should be able to teach yourself.” I couldn’t argue that, so I tried. With my husband Chris holding my hands until I got somewhat steady, and with Robert and the other 20-30 year-old's cheering me on; there I went, out of my sporty comfort zone for the first time in quite awhile. I managed to stay on the board for probably 20 seconds, and ‘glided’ about 6 meters – more like wobbled – until jumping off. I had no intention off falling off.

Meanwhile, Chris had his attempt, lasting at least twice as long as I did, and took a dive in the grass once the descent was faster than he wanted to deal with. He felt like a safe crash was better than getting injured. Again, he’s amazingly competent at ‘drop and roll’ snowboard moves.

I noticed that I was overly cautious, thinking too much, trying to figure out how to do it right, rather than just relaxing and having fun. How much would the experience been more enjoyable if I allowed myself to have more fun with it, just enjoying the moment.

With all that said, it added a little fun to our family reunion; and it was a relief we tried it before we had a couple of beers.

Photo by Friedhelm Hofstetter, 2015

It’s been almost a year, and I haven’t tried a snake board since.

What I learned from all of this:

- It’s fun sometimes to get out of the box
- I should add more play into my life
- It’s good to take risks
- It’s okay to fail
- I saw an opportunity and took it
- If I had relaxed, I would have been more successful
- Sometimes a little fun interaction is better than sitting around
- I’m not afraid of looking silly
- Sometimes when we try something new, it’s okay to show the lack of experience
- An attempt at something new builds confidence
- I have to take some action in order to move forward

How can you apply some of these observations in your life – realistically and metaphorically?

How can we add more fun and adventure into our lives?

Can we afford to take a little more risk in our lives?