When it comes to music, I listen to country and classic rock most of the time. The world of hip-hop music is not only 'new' to me, it is totally foreign. At least it was until a couple weeks ago. Shoot, two weeks ago, I couldn't even name one hip-hop artist or even think of a hip-hop song. A few friends of mine thought that was pretty funny and pathetic all at the same time. So, my 'new' challenge became learning how to hip-hop dance. Check this out!!!!!.....I even got to show off my new dance skills in a hip-hop music video surrounded by hot, shirtless, young men. How about that for some inspiration?
Another extra fun 'new' challenge that I took on was learning how to twist balloon animals. It's not as easy as it looks. I decided that it would be fun to put my new skill to the test. So, I dressed up like a clown and made balloon animals at a children's party. HA!!! As soon as I got to the children's party, I thought to myself, "What the hell did I just sign up for?" Ten screaming children, running up to me, jumping on me, yelling their balloon requests at me. First of all, I am a single woman with no children. The sight of ten children running at me was a bit frightening. Second of all, I only remembered how to make a dog out of the balloons. So, needless to say, no matter what the child asked for, he got a dog. Children are very honest critics. Children also exude unconditional love. On a scale from 1 to 10, ten being the best, my balloon creations were falling anywhere between 1 and 3. However, no matter what my balloons were looking like, each child squealed with glee, hugged me, and thanked me for their balloons. One little girl told me it was the best balloon animal she ever had. I thought to myself, 'you have never had a balloon animal before, have you'?
My bedroom is my oasis. I LOVE spending an evening in bed, watching a movie with popcorn and wine. I adore beginning my day with coffee in bed while checking my email. A couple weeks ago I looked around my bedroom and thought, 'Ick, I have been staring at the same room for seven years'. Pretty sad, huh? Seven years of the same color scheme, same type of bedding, same furniture. I thought, 'if my life was a computer, I'd refresh this page for sure'. So, I did. I got all new bedding....bed skirt, sheets, comforter, shams, the whole nine yards. I threw out the old boring beige set and replaced it with a set of greens and brown. It is soooo cool. The colors of my new bedding match the colors of the trees outside my bedroom window. I even bought my self a new dresser. I rearranged things. And...are you ready for this....I even cleaned out my closet!!!! Holy Hannah, now that was a feat in of itself. The results are AMAZING!!! I feel like I have a whole new room, a whole new space, a whole new oasis, a whole new place to escape and call my own. It is amazing how a couple changes can just spruce up a room, refresh it, and make it feel new. I am still not done. I plan on getting new window treatments and a new lamp. I might even add a few new house plants to my room as well. The author, Virginia Woolf, once said, 'Everyone needs a room of one's own'. I couldn't agree more.
**Oh, by the way, check out Anna's Linens for really nice selections at a really inexpensive price.
My neighbor has quite the green thumb. This year, in addition to her lovely green outdoor plants and vividly colored flowers, she has planted an artichoke plant and a lemon tree. She has kindly extended to me the invitation to help myself to some fresh home grown artichokes and lemons. Boy, oh, boy...I have always loved artichokes, but I have never had one freshly cut from the plant. This artichoke was so good, I didn't even bother with the dipping sauce. Did you know that the artichoke plant is a thistle? 'New' news to me. I had no idea that I loved eating thistles. LOL I just gotta say that there is nothing like steaming fresh vegetables, walking out your kitchen door, picking a lemon from a near by tree, going back into your kitchen, and squeezing the juice from that fresh picked lemon over your fresh veggies. Yep, I could get use to that.
Did you know, that if you don't pick the artichoke off the plant, it will eventually blossom into a purple flower? Isn't that neat? I never knew.
Keeping it 'new' has really effected my life in a positive way. I am much more open minded now then I was even six months ago. I am open to new ideas, thoughts, experiences. I am more willing to listen to other people's view points and less quick to judge. I may not always like or agree with ever new encounter, but I am so grateful to know that there is sooooo very much to choose from. More then I could ever wrap my mind around. We don't have to like everything. We don't need to like everything. Just keep your mind open to all the possibilities this life has to offer and choose the things that feel good to you. Choose the things that bring you joy and bring peace to your heart. Don't worry if your choices are different then someone else's. After all....different things float different boats.
