Friday 5 August 2022

August 5, 2022 Chautauqua

Beth's Ponderings

   Ever stop doing something that you’ve always done, or at least done for years, and then after a period of time not doing it, thought that there was no way you could get back to it because you’d be starting right back at square one, and that feels like just too much effort, so why bother?

   I’m sure there are countless different activities, or habits, that you can think of where this has been the case.  I know I have a few.

   I recently heard Caylee Grey, from the Get Messy podcast, mention this, but how she framed it, changed my perspective.

   When we return to a task after a long absence, Caylee pointed out that we aren’t starting from scratch, but we are “starting from experience.”

   And, that is so true.  No matter how much time has passed between when you stopped and when you start up again, you aren’t starting the second time as a complete beginner.  Even if you need a refresher and have to relearn some steps, you’ll pick them up considerably faster than you did the first time because you already know them.

   Also, because you already have experience, you know what your pitfalls are (ie what caused you to stop in the first place) and how to make the process work for you so you can keep going again.

   When I first started doing yoga, I was told that even if you stop doing yoga for years, when you get back to it, your body will remember, and after some initial stiffness, it will quickly get back to the level you were at before you stopped.  Just like riding a bicycle - you never really forget how to ride even if you are a bit rusty the first time out again.

   While we tend to think of summer as a time to ditch routines and just play and have fun (and it certainly is that), summer is also a really good time to revisit some of the tasks, skills, and practices we used to do, because we don’t have our usual routines as an excuse to stop us, and the free time to spend revisiting the activities.

   And now that you know it will be easier to get back into the groove than you “thought” it would be, you have nothing to lose.

Beth

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