Indeed it was the Library, but we didn't go for books, we went for a monthly Ukulele Jam Night. I have to admit, I've played other instruments before, but to be honest, it's been many years.
So,
I walked in with my son’s Ukulele (which was very out of tune) in my purple jam
bag. I didn't want to buy a new
instrument just yet...I thought we should give it a try before making that
leap. I really needed to try this out
before committing to a new purchase and wanted to see if I would "fall in
love" with the instrument first.
I
have to say there is nothing more exhilarating than trying something new. I know that ukulele isn’t like skydiving...but
it did force me to get out of my box. At the end of the day, I just wanted to
try something new. I walked into this
experience not knowing the names of the strings and by the end of the night; I
knew enough to play 'Amazing Grace' and 'You Are My Sunshine'!
Sharing
my Ukulele experience with you is not what this is all about. It is more about sharing
the experience and importance of opening your mind to the possibility of something
new. It could be as simple as trying a
new kind of tea or coffee after dinner. We
have all our "favorites", our comfortable space where everything is
to known us. There is nothing wrong with having that comfort...but if you don't
give into the idea of trying something new, you are will never know what great experience
is waiting for you out there. What do
you have to lose - nothing really? You
will either re-confirm that you still love and prefer your old ways - or -
discover that you tried and experienced something new...perhaps something
better...something you never loved before.
Sometimes
at IPB we have to take a second look at a process. As cliché as it may sound,
sometimes you need to look ‘outside the box' to fix what is wrong inside the
box. It is about opening our mind to the possibilities of new processes and new
jobs. Perhaps you need to look for
different ways to save time and money. It
reminds me of an old saying, ‘there are many ways to skin the cat’. This
is an expression meaning there are many different ways of doing the same thing. Terrible
expression, but oh so true!
It
was about a month ago when I saw the ad in the local newspaper that the Ukulele
Group was meeting at the Library on the last Wednesday of each month. My mom called to remind me of our plans. I could have so easily said, no, not
tonight. I have 3 kids and there is a
level of guilt for heading out after dinner.
But not that night - I said yes, I opened my mind to the possibility of
something new.
As
I walked into the house afterwards, thinking about my new adventure - I felt
like I was on top of the world. What a
feeling! I had met new people, and
accomplished a goal.
I
wonder what I will try next! I challenge
you to try something new!
