Don't Try... DO! #reverb10

For me, the word try has some negative connotations.  As in - if you are trying to do something, you aren't really, actually, doing it. 
Kaileen Elise challegned us today:

December 18 – Try What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did / didn’t go for it?

My mind is a wash of a lot of things that I want to do, see, learn in the next year. I want to learn how to play the guitar.  I want to lose 15 lbs and tone up some muscles and maintain that physique. I want to take writing more seriously.  Professionally speaking, I want to empower my laity so that I don't have to write the agendas for all of our meetings. I want a deeper relationship with God through prayer and stillness. I want to spend more time with my family

But as I think about all of those things, nothing strikes me as something to try at... either I'm going to do them, or I'm not.

So trying... what would I want to try?  What would I want to explore?  What do I want to collisally fail at? What do I want to take a chance on and see if maybe, possibly, I like it?  What kind of one-shot experience do I want for 2011?  

I have to admit, I wasn't feeling very creative when I started thinking about this.  In fact, I avoided the prompt all day long hoping for some inspiration.   Finally, I got desperate. I googled... don't laugh... "things to try." 

And I found a bunch of really interesting stuff!!!

First up, 10 frugal things to try before you die.    I have to admit - I've done a number of these things already.  Goodwill and Stuff,Etc. are staples for bargain hunting clothes.  I've also been dumpster diving before.  And I regularly try to salvage the fruits and veggies in my fridge that are going a little south.... maybe that's not the same thing as "slumming" it... but it's close!  I can sew, knit, and crochet.  So I'm doing pretty good on this list.  Although, the drip tray pint might be an adventure that I can add to my list?  

Next, Things to try at Wal-Mart when you are bored. Self-explanatory.  But nothing that I really want to do... maybe if I were ten years younger.

There are a ton of bucket-lists out there, including this one, and this one, and oh yeah, this one.

Some highlights on those - things that actually might be possible for me in the next year:

• have your portrait painted... I've never done this - not even those cartoon drawings at Adventureland.
• run a marathon... How about run a 5k -that's definately something to add to my list.
• make love on the kitchen floor... yep.
• make a hole in one... I don't golf (oh, that's another one to add to the list) - but I do disc golf and making an ace would be amazing... it's definately something to try and shoot for!
• play a round of golf... see above.
• be someone's mentor... being a young person, that hasn't really been an opportunity for me yet - except there is this thing called reverse mentoring and a colleage and I are going to do it this next year
• visit New York City... definately on my list.  In fact, I would like to take a trip to the northeast in general this next year.
• go skiing... I have never been snow skiing in my life. That's a great thing I could try next year.
• fly first class... this would definately be fun. something to experience, something I can probably afford to do only once =)
• wear more dresses... I love dresses, but finding good ones that are staples for a wardrobe is hard - this might be a fun thing to try!
• cook with herbs from my own garden... I have yet to grow herbs and this would be an awesome thing to try for next year!
• try to cook a national food... this one inspired me to think about getting the kolach recipe from my recipe box and actually attempting to bake them myself.

Hmm... that's a pretty good list of things to try!  Possible things.  Fun things.  Some of them easy to accomplish. Some of them that might take some planning. 

Is there anything like that from 2010? 

Probably hiking up Koko Head Crater.  It was something I always wanted to do and I finally did it, barely.  That's something I've talked about in a few of these other reverb10 posts. 

I sang a solo in church, twice this year, which was quite an accomplishment for me.  It was a little scary, but I actually did it! The first time was for a Good Friday Tenebrae service, and the second time I busted out a song as a part of my sermon - a capella!!!

Another big accomplishment for me this year is that I decided to try and make a full scale blanket by crocheting/knitting.  It was a huge success and I'm now working on number three!!! A big step up from the scarves - which were my only prior attempts.