I have a confession…I am a tango school drop-out. Well, I guess I haven’t officially dropped out just yet, but man, this isn’t looking good. I skipped class Monday night and to tell you the truth, I didn’t even feel bad about it. I simply don’t like the tango! Actually, let me rephrase that because that’s not entirely true. I love watching other people dance the tango. I love the way their bodies move together..I love the look in their eyes as they glide through the steps effortlessly…oh, and of course, I love the passion! I find it all so incredibly sexy and captivating. I, too, wanted to do what they did and that is why I originally picked the tango as something I wanted to master this year. But when I dance the tango, it all looks…well, it all looks terribly different. Maybe if I lived and breathed the tango I could one day achieve some sort of success but I don’t. I don’t live and breathe it. Do you hate me?
It wasn’t until Brian got home from work that I realized I felt a little bad about skipping class. When he asked why I wasn’t at my tango class, I put my head down and whispered, “I didn’t want to go”. I hated saying it but once I said it, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my chest and then I kinda wanted to skip around and scream with delight…”I didn’t want to go because I hate tango class!!!” How nice to allow myself the freedom to hate something! I have spent too many years pretending I like certain things, certain people and certain ideas because I don’t want to offend and/or disappoint. So I have decided at 116 days til 30 that I’m done doing that- Life is too damn short to be filling my day with stuff that isn’t enjoyable, stimulating and worth it to me. So what that I thought I would like it…I don’t. What’s the big deal if I don’t like something?? I like lots and lots of other things!
You know what I did instead of going to my tango class?? I made a lovely dinner with the man I love, talked about his upcoming photography exhibit and stayed up very late working on my upcoming road trip across the USA!!! I could spend ALL DAY, EVERY DAY working on the road trip…every little detail gets me excited! It brings me lots and lots and lots of joy and I think that was the point of starting 365 til 30.
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“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.”
Joseph Capmbell
Love this. If you fully completed all of them, I would puke 🙂
Ha! 🙂
What an excellent lesson to learn! I seriously need to adopt that myself. I’ve always struggled with feeling like I need to keep on trying/liking everything I start or else I consider it quitting or failing. Perhaps it’s ok to just not want to do something! Ha! Such a simple, yet overlooked concept!
Also… I totally understand the roadtrip plannning obsession. We are in the midst of planning the next trip. Three weeks through 8 states. I’m so excited!
Sarah, thank you so much for your comment!!! I’ve always struggled with that feeling too!! So nice to know that I am not alone.
Also…tell me about your road trip…I want details! So exciting!
Ahh… our road trip. The original goal was to finally see yellowstone national park. We’ve recently become somewhat obsessed with national parks and always love a good long drive. So, the decision to make it all the way to Wyoming from Long Beach quickly turned into a monster three week tour of the west! It’s Utah-> Colorado-> Nebraska-> South Dakota-> Wyoming/Montana-> Idaho-> Nevada & then home! We’ve found some great camping cabins and I can’t wait to get into the fresh air. I’m sure I’ll eventually blog about it, but if you’re on instagram I always post pics along the way ( fuzzynk is my instagram & twitter name). We did the South-Southwest over the holidays and that still hasn’t made the blog. Ha! I’m slow 🙂
We dream of doing a trip across the country. I absolutely can’t wait to hear about how yours goes!!!
What a good lesson to learn from a girl half+my age. Nice writing,enjoyed.
Indira, thank you so very much!!!!
Hi Kate. I admire what you’re doing and thinking here. Yes, life is too short! I think I’m just discovering this at 51. That’s 22 more years on you of minor anxieties, sleepless nights, worrying about whether I’m doing the right thing and whether I’m being a good person. It starts to add up. So screw the tango, dance with your heart, it’s a better dance. I’m glad I’m following you.
Gregory, there are certain comments that really make me smile and feel grateful and yours was one of those. Thank you.
“Dance with your heart…it’s a better dance”- I LOVED that.
I’m glad I’m following you…
Good for you, Kate! I’m loving your blog…keep up the great work. Miss you.
xo,
Monica
Life is too damn short to be filling my day with stuff that isn’t enjoyable, stimulating and worth it to me.
Amen. (and that’s what she said over here, too!).
Screw it. Do what you love! …You learned something either way you look at the situation 😉
Your posts put a smile inside us. The personality gets light, amusing, rapid, insightful right off the bat, and stays positive thru the story. You can’t complain without turning it into a laugh. After finishing one of your pieces, we feel good. You share your joy of writing.
I am blown away by your kind words. I can’t tell you how much they mean to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am very grateful to have you as a reader:)