If You Never Try, You Will Never Know...

​A few years ago, I saw a cartoon that pictured a stick figure riding a bicycle on a straight line. Underneath that picture was another cartoon with a stick figure riding a bicycle, except this time the line was bumpy with hills and valleys. The caption read underneath both pictures- “if this was your life path, which path would you choose?” That cartoon really makes sense.  Because, while we might naturally gravitate toward the path with the straight line, because it’s easier, the path with the peaks and lows provides the most opportunity for growth. It is an interesting way to look at life. It leads us to change perspective and opens us to change.
 
This past week, I spent time in Puerto Rico where my days were spent on a stand-up paddleboard – or SUP, as they call it. I did this because I want to change my perspective. I wanted to learn how I could teach yoga on a paddleboard. Trust me, it’s a lot harder than it looks. I did this because I think it is important to do things in life that scare you. I think that being on a paddleboard while practicing yoga let me overcome my fear of, well, myself. It gave me permission to trust the process. At first, you want to do everything you can to gain balance so you don’t fall off of your board. But what I learned is that falling was the best part. It was the most fun falling in the ocean when my body hit the water. It connected me to nature that sometimes, on land, I forget to connect to. The laughing that takes place every time you fall off gives you permission to realize that life doesn’t always have to be so serious.
 
Now, I am not saying that all of you should go out and hop on a paddleboard to change your perspective (but really, you should try it at least once!). What I am saying is that you should do something in your life that scares you. If it doesn’t scare you, you will never know if it could change your outlook. Even if it is just for a minute, you’ll see that you are not that stick figure riding on a straight line. You are a lot more whole and human in this experience we call life. 

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