#27 Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)
I’ve been keeping this list.
I call it “The Big List of Trying.”
It started as a reflection about my life as I near the half century mark. I guess I'm trying to quantify the sheer number of weird, wild, and whimsical experiences I’ve collected. I was curious about what's made me curious over the years. So I've captured things that I've done in the service of satisfying that curiosity - or in somehow advancing me on my quest for self improvement.
The list is long, and I’m sure, incomplete. My memory is also long, but selective. I can never leave well enough alone so I expect to make many updates, revisions, and re-classifications.
I like this list. It’s ambitious and eclectic. It’s hopeful, but a little heart-breaking. (So. Many. Diets.) And the stories. Whoa. The Stories.
So, I’ll publish the list here for your entertainment, but I’ll also be using it as a springboard for future entries. If you see a link, it’s because I’ve written about that already somewhere.
Feel free to let me know if any of these pique your interest for a future post. And, if you know me well enough, let me know what’s missing!
Cx
The Big List of Trying
Writing/Art
My first storytelling moment.
Pottery class
Screenwriting class
Musical theater
Storytelling
Guitar lessons
Writing poems
Singing in a bar band
Giving a keynote speech
Blogging
Irish Dancing (as a kid)
Other Classes/Courses
Aromatherapy/Essential Oils
Dream analysis
Baking class (pies, cobblers, and crumbles)
Cooking Class (New Orleans)
Kahn Academy (Chemistry: to see if I could finally learn to balance equations)
Financial planning
Workouts/Dance Classes
Aerial Yoga ca 2013
IntenSati
Cardio-dance
Ballet class
Ballet Beautiful workout
Buti yoga
Bikram (hot) yoga
Aerial yoga
Other Yoga (Hatha/Kundalini/Ashtanga/Yin)
Indoor Cycling
Running
Boxing
Ballroom dance
Swing dance
Tango
Surf Set (surfing inspired fitness)
Experiences/Thrills
That time I flew a plane, briefly.
Roller blading (it was the 90s)
Ice skating
Hiking
Skydiving
Snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef
Sledding down a hill in a rowboat
Walking on hot coals (Tony Robbins)
Jumping off rocks into a natural “pool” (Costa Rica)
Bike riding lesson (failed)
Polar Bear Plunge
Kayaking
Canoeing
Sailing lessons
Surfing
Stand Up Paddleboard
Zip lining
Accidental couples massage/spa treatments (more than once, in fact, so many times)
Japanese Tea ceremony
Spirituality/Personal Development/Body Work
Church
Ayurveda
Yantras
Ahimsa (Non-Violence)
Ayurvedic consultation
Chakra alignment
Shamanic healing
Spiritual Healers
Medium
Astrology
Sound healing/sound bath
Hydrotherapy (floating in a salt tank)
Acupuncture
Cupping
Ear candling
Chiropractic adjustment
Gratitude journals
Morning pages
Meditation: Japa Mala, visualization, theta healing, silence, Pranayama (breathwork)
Cacao ceremony
Wicca
Diets/Weird Food Stuff
Day 2 of a juice cleanse. I was delirious and ranting about how abusive coconut water is. ca 2014.
Juice cleanses
Slim fast
Weight watchers
Nutri-system
Jenny craig
Atkins
South beach
Low fat/high carb
Low carb/high fat
Cabbage soup
Baby food
Vegan cleanse
Intermittent fasting
Diet pills
Ayurvedic meal planning
Blood type
VB6 (vegan before 6pm)
Paleo
Keto
Whole 30
Meal delivery
Lean cuisine diet
Special K diet