do something new

{ Here's an archive of the "Do Something New" section. So go back and do it again, or try something for the very first time. } 

Start a blog. Maybe this isn't new to many of you, but to some - perhaps. Your blog can be public to the universe or completely private. The reason I encourage you to start a blog is this: you will have a safe, easy, and nearly always accessible place to plop your thoughts, rants, journal entries, observations, questions, and ideas. I was a journaler for many years, but over time I stopped writing because my journal was never physically nearby when I needed it - especially true once kids came along. A blog, conveniently, is anywhere your internet connected fingers are. So check out Blogger or Tumblr - both free and easy to navigate - and consider giving yourself the gift of space (blog space, that is) that's all your own. 


Print a picture and post it. What?! Print a picture? Then post it...how??! I know, I'm talking old school posting, like...scotch tape or blue tack style. It's been a while since many of us have printed out a picture and "posted it" but every corner store makes it easy to print a simple 3 x 5 for less than a dime. So find a picture that makes you absolutely crack up or makes your heart skip with love, or nostalgia, or both. Print it on your home printer or through Walgreens.com, and then tape it to a place where its light will reach you, especially the stressed out you - on your dashboard, inside your briefcase, or right next to that massive to-do list. Let the picture remind you that today will soon be a fleeting, if not forgotten, snapshot.


Try a new taste in music. Some of you already have a diverse music palette, but if you're like me, I'm the Taco Bell of auditory consumption, chowing cleverly over-advertised combinations of basically the same thing. So I tried Indie Rock on Pandora.com, and up came The Shins, as well as other new finds like Zee Avi, which led me to Joshua Radin, and many others. How often do we set ourselves up for a small happy surprise? So type in something new (like instrumental hip hop) and wake up those dormant musical taste buds.


Meditate. It's a practice that has survived over 2500 years. Regardless of your religious or spiritual background, meditating can be a gift of peace you give to yourself, in any setting, at any time. I just meditated for the very first time last month at a workshop with author and expert Susan Piver. Learn a little bit about meditation from Susan and her Open Heart Project.


Experience Slam Poetry. Hide in the back. Sit in the front. It doesn't matter. Just go to watch raw courage stand there at the lonely mic and experience the power of performance poetry. If you're in Boston, visit the Lizard or the Cantab. If elsewhere, check with your local writers and poets groups...they know where the goods are in the neighborhood. In the words of Patti Digh, "Go, go."