Adventurous Life Newsletter - Inviting You to Find Inspiration in Odd Corners (November 2003)

My mother grew up in a small Midwestern town as part of a generation that didn't expect girls to be athletic -- or even very aware of their own bodies. The 60s and 70s zoomed past while she was starting a family and raising kids. Yet deep in her heart, she has always longed to try two things: downhill skiing and ballroom dancing.

Several years ago, she bought skis, but never used them. Once or twice, she attended group dance lessons and -- though she loved the sensation of swirling across the ballroom floor -- allowed herself to be held up by the fact that she wasn't very good at it and didn't have a dance partner.

Last winter, after years of longing, she threw aside caution and self-consciousness and determined to try both. She bought a pass at a small local ski slope and took lessons, getting herself out at least one day a week to practice her skills and glory in the crisp scent of fresh-fallen snow. Then she began taking private ballroom dance lessons, choosing a patient and fun-loving instructor who pushed her past her own bodily oblivion.

A few weeks ago, I drove five hours to watch her participate in her first-ever ballroom dance competition. Dancers compete only against those at their own level, but all levels are on the floor at the same time, so she was surrounded by smooth, flashy couples gliding and strutting and swinging around the hall. Sometimes her timing was on, sometimes it was off. Photos caught her with her knees splayed, her balance lost on a spin, her arm flung awkwardly in a last-minute pose. Yet every moment she was out there, the look on her face was one of pure joy -- and as the day progressed, her confidence (and competence) grew.

Mothers never stop being role models for their children. Mine is aglow as she pushes through her own inhibitions, working diligently at an activity she adores. When I watch her dance, I don't see "awkwardness," or "blunders" -- I see inspiration and courage and humor: all those essential qualities that allow us to stick with something long enough to move from mistakes to mastery. As she puts it, "It's about knowing you're out there performing Twinkle Twinkle and doing it anyway."

Pretend it’s 1985 and you’ve been a stay-at-home mom and part-time children’s book author -- what do you do when your husband of 25 years tells you he wants a divorce? You don’t earn enough to keep up your Los Angeles lifestyle -- or even rent an apartment -- on your own.

Well, you could spend years being bitter and angry, fighting in court over alimony. You could find a job that wasn’t perfect but would pay the rent. You could move in with your grown children. Or, if you’re Rita Golden Gelman, you could invest the proceeds from your half of the house, sell everything else you own, take off with nothing more than you can carry on your back, and travel to countries you’ve always wanted to visit but never had the chance to see. “There is more than one way to do life,” writes Gelman, “and I was going to discover one that worked for me.”

Eighteen years later, she’s still traveling. She’s lived in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Israel, the Galapagos Islands, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Thailand. When I spoke with her, she was on her way to India to work collectively with kids living in a slum in Delhi on creating a new children’s book together based on their experiences.

Read the complete article -- with tips for starting down your own adventure path -- on my web site.

Have you been wanting to toss a few random acts of kindness into the world? Look no further for an excuse -- November 10 - 16 is World Kindness Week!

Check out the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation web site for free resources, including activity ideas, lesson plans, teacher's guide, project planning guide, publicity guide, and workplace resources. You can send free e-cards, create a kindness web site to share your own stories, or simply browse for inspiring ideas. Or stop by the World Kindness Movement web site for links to international resources.

So, what are your plans for World Kindness Week? Share your stories -- drop me an e-mail with your ideas and encounters!