Do you not know, have you not heard?

Attention concert-goers: When the band stops playing their song, says thank you, and exits the stage, the concert is not over. There is this crazy thing called an "encore." We all play along and clap until the band returns, when we cheer even louder, feigning surprise, and they play two to three more songs. You should come to expect this. And, they are usually some of the bands biggest hits that you want to hear. So, sit back, relax. Your car will still be there and leaving isn't really going to make traffic that much easier. If the lights are not on, the concert is not over.

This has been a public service announcement.

Boxes

Monday I kayaked.

Tuesday I spun.

Wednesday I yoga'd.

Thursday I surfed.

Friday I biked.

This summer I have turned over a new leaf and have decided to be active as much as possible. The nice thing about not working is that I have plenty of time to explore new hobbies, go to the gym, and try to fulfill my goal of being in the best shape of my life.

I was never athletic growing up. The only sport I ever played was volleyball in 7th grade-they needed one more player to form a team and my friend Hannah convinced me to join. To give you an indication of my skill level, I actually thought it was called "Ballyball" until the day I saw the sign up sheet in the girls locker room. It did not go well from there.

I dabbled in dance in high school, but only to get out of PE, and once that was done, so was I. My friends swam; I took pictures of them for the yearbook. My friends played water polo; I wrote an article about the water polo team for the school newspaper. You get the idea.

So, I've always thought that I just wasn't a sporty person-that I could make myself go to the gym to lose weight, but that I'd never enjoy working out and certainly assumed that sports or other athletic activities were beyond my reach.

This summer I discovered a new side to myself. I am by no means a super athlete-organized sports still sounds mildly terrifying to me. But, I started with riding my bike on the beach path near my house. Then I went on a few hikes with friends. Then kayaking. And this week I attempted to add surfing to the mix (which certainly needs more work). And I have enjoyed all of them. I am learning to play catch and have made it a goal to learn to play softball well enough that I don't humiliate myself on a co-ed softball team next year.  I have also been enjoying spinning and yoga classes at the gym, and dare I say it, I actually look forward to all these things.

What is my point? I'm sort of rambling here, but I guess I'm realizing that I don't necessarily fit into the box that I created for myself for several years. And that's good-it means I am not completely set in my ways-I am not finished growing and learning and changing, and I like that. So, my few blog readers, what boxes have you put yourself in? I say kick apart the cardboard and try something new!