Lost: denoting something that has been taken away or cannot be recovered
The older I become, the more I am aware of lost opportunities. I don't want to be in my twilight years and think "I wish I had ____________." On Saturday, I competed in my first sprint triathlon. It was not planned. It wasn't a goal written on my 2016 to-do list. {Actually, I don't have one of those!} I wanted to participate in a duathlon but the tri opportunity presented itself instead. I had very little time to train on the swim portion. My younger self would have said "Are You Kidding? No Way!"
It was wonderful and I'm glad I did.
I just recently went parasailing for the first time too. {Those "Why Nots" seem to be flying out of my mouth with abandonment these days.} I had been thinking about this one for years. I went as far as getting to the parasailing stand about 10 years ago, but they had already closed. What kept me from acting on it since then? I don't know. I finally decided to fish or cut bait, so to speak. Even better, Sh** or Get Off the Porta Potty, as my good friend Wendy so eloquently posted recently.
It was wonderful and I'm glad I did.
The same goes for several other firsts over the last couple of years. What is making me try these things now? The fear of not trying them...the fear of losing an opportunity I may never get again. And perhaps, the death of a brother who lost his battle with a horrific, aggressive form of cancer at the young age of 56. Time is passing quickly and health is a precious commodity. The fear of losing out is much larger now than the fear of the activity itself.
Next time you get an opportunity, think about acting on it.
What do you have to lose?
What do you have to lose?
It will be wonderful and you'll be glad you did.
Please visit Deb and the other participating bloggers. It's fun!
You are absolutely right! I feel the same way and the older I get the more I am determined to make every moment count!
ReplyDeleteI'm not going to lose any time sitting on the couch...unless I'm so tired from a recent adventure that I have to sit there! LOL.
DeleteTouche
DeleteFind a marathon than has a generous time limit and run/walk the heck out of that thing if you have to! I bet you wouldn't regret it.
ReplyDeleteSorry for your loss Holly.
ReplyDeleteI don't so much have the fear of missing out on something as I do of "wasting time". Time is so precious and I feel like the older I get, the faster it goes. I really want to make each day count!
Kenny Chesney sings a song entitled "Don't Blink". That's exactly how fast time seems to be moving these days. I can't afford to waste any.
DeleteI have seen this before... FOMO, Fear of Missing Out. And in many cases, it gets people to do things that they shouldn't do but sometimes it gets us to do things that we should do, things out of our comfort zone, and we end up having a lot of fun (like you with the parasailing). It makes you think, I doubt when I get older that I'll ever say I should have spent more time at home on the couch watching TV or on the computer but I'll say I should have gone out to be with friends and family whenever I could, or try new things.
ReplyDeleteI won't do something just because others are. It may not interest me in the least. But FOMO is very real when it is something I already enjoy or something I'd like to try.
DeleteGreat minds think alike. Read my post.
ReplyDeleteYou won't see me tackling a TRI but I do want to parasailing and try SUP.
I don't know WHY I haven't SUP'd. I want to! I'm putting that on my next beach trip list.
DeleteKaren. Maybe we should try one together.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you have to lose!!! Great question!
ReplyDeleteI really try to take those risks...I don't want to question myself later in life.
I am hoping to SUP while we are Costa Rica....
I want to try SUP! I wish I had thought about it on our recent trip to the beach.
DeleteWhenever I think of lost/forgone opportunities I am haunted by the fact that I didn't dare run the London Marathon when I freaking lived there and all it would've taken was filling out a simple signup sheet. Sigh. The one that got away. It'll take a huge effort to get there again but dammit I'm going to.
ReplyDeleteMmm...yeah. I think that would bother me too just a little. Sometimes things aren't meant to be -- think Chicago last year for me. Maybe you are supposed to run London later.
DeleteThere are many things I've tried and enjoyed, and things I've tried but just weren't for me, although I'm not sorry I tried them. SUP and kayaking are things I do want to try, but just never seem to get around to.
ReplyDeleteMy mom lost both her brothers when she was around my age. She lost a son (before I was born). I think those things made her more cautious though.
Just talking Mr. Judy into a daytrip was an adventure. :)
So we should both try kayaking and Suping.
DeleteI think you can make adventures out of almost anything! A daytrip would definitely qualify.
DeleteWell said Holly! You are always inspiring me to become a better version of myself, xo!
ReplyDeleteYou are too kind. There are so many wonderful opportunities out there. If we don't explore, we will never know.
DeleteI remember you commenting on my post about parasailing on the Outer Banks and you said you really wanted to try it sometime. I'm so glad you did! Wasn't it a blast, and so serene?
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your first sprint tri - you're my hero! The swim portion will keep me from ever trying one, mainly because I'm too competitive and I know I'd be the last one out of the water (if I didn't drown flailing like a cat thrown into a pool).
Thanks for linking up!
We were a little concerned with the noise of the caribiners rubbing together, but other than that -- yes it was very serene! I was # 22 out of # 28 coming out of the water in my AG. So, I'm slightly proud of the # 4 finish.
DeleteYes, I think you both should!!
ReplyDelete