Last Spring I decided to learn to golf. I spent most of my summer, and part of fall taking lessons and practicing on the green. When I first started, I almost quit. Golf must be the most frustrating game EVER! I’m glad I stayed with it because now I’m not too terrible at it. I’ve continued to improve and find myself enjoying it more each time. On my last game (I was brave enough to keep score), I shot a 131. Not bad, I guess. This is an average score for beginners according to my research online.
This winter I started swim lessons for the first time in my life. I took six one-hour lessons and again, found myself being very frustrated with my learning ability, and performance. Swimming can be very challenging after a certain age, especially after forty.
My swim instructor Ray played a significant role in the process. His encouragement and gentleness allowed me to remain confident and feeling safe. I’m now swimming laps on my own. Not perfectly, I still have a long way to go, but Ray was able to get me to a place where all I have to do is practice.
What’s made all this possible was my drive, determination, and the right instructor. My golf instructor Dennis also made a huge difference on my learning golf. I believe he set the tone for my swimming adventure. When I became frustrated, he would remind me constantly, “not to listen to my bad caddy,” and it worked. My bad caddy he says is my inner self that feeds negative thoughts in my head about my inability to learn something new. With his support and persistence my bad caddy was replaced for a good one; one that encouraged me to press on, follow my dreams, practice hard, and have fun.
Doing something outside the box can be challenging, overwhelming, and scary. However, I guarantee the benefits will outweigh all that. I’ve chosen to keep expanding my experiences as I grow older, and have started a list I titled “things to do during midlife and beyond.” I refuse to be trapped in my own person and have chosen to do things outside my own worldview. My next adventure: acrylic painting…
