Fountain of Youth

Actually, I didn't really discover the fountain of youth as much as a little rain drop. As I begrudgingly say goodbye to my youth I believe I've found a way to retain some of those youthful feelings. Sounds trite but here is my solution: try new things, leave your comfort zone, take some risks. Easy enough right? Whenever I am feeling out of the marketing demographic and beyond the age limit, I do something completely different.

What I try or do depends solely on how bad I feel and how much energy it takes to change that feelings. For example, if I need a small dose of youth I try cooking a new dish. Mango enchiladas were not really a hit with the palette but they were someting different. I put on some salsa music, dices those chilis and all of a sudden I wasn't feeling so old. On a larger scale, I learned how to scuba dive last year. Six weeks of pool and classroom training was fantastic. Being underwater was a completely new sensation and the views were amazing. I felt new and more alive than I had in years. Talk about removing yourself from your comfort zone. Fifty feet underwater will do it. My latest attempt for youth came yesterday when I registered for the Turkey Trot. Well my husband registered us for the Turkey Trot. He is a recreational runner but like me has never run a 5k. So today I start my 3-4 week training session. After an hour on the treadmill I feel more decrepit than youthful, but I am hopeful.

When you think about it, middle age is a great position to be in for trying new things. You don't have to worry about what your friends think or if you'll embarrass yourself. At this age, we have already embarrassed ourselves countless times and our friends couldn't care less. It doesn't matter if you're not good at it or if you hate it. The thrill comes from trying it. The adrenaline, your hands are sweaty and your anxious. Isn't that a better feeling than tired and achy?

You may think this advise is useless, but try it. I promise you will feel better. At the very least, learning something new will take your mind off the fact that you are old :-).