Be More Kid

Despite my fear of clowns, there are some things worth doing regardless of my fears.

I was ten or eleven when I didn’t make the choir. I was one of only three in the entire primary school who didn’t make the cut. The music teacher didn’t have to tell me I couldn’t sing, the message was clear. So, I never sang again…

After I learned that I could not sing, I started to quit all sorts of things that I was not greatly-wonderfully-amazing at. I quit the tennis team when I was no longer in the top two. I stopped dancing because my dyslexia made me look like a fool, always moving in the wrong direction. I quit guitar because the teacher made me play right-handed like everyone else and that sentenced me back to the beginner class… I was still a kid when I learned to quit.

Just because the road disappears, doesn’t mean you need to give up!

Fast forward many years to twenty-something me, lost in a Malaysian jungle with my friend Simone. A casual stroll had transformed into some kind of epic adventure thanks to my lack of direction. Following noise and light we stumbled out of the jungle and into a kindergarten birthday party that had been taken over by the parents. Barney the dinosaur played in the background while the grown-ups belted out songs on the karaoke machine. We were welcomed into the party with warm embraces and forced to sing. The choice of songs was minimal, but the applause from the drunken crowd was outstanding (and I don’t think it was just from our incredible [smelly-jungle-adventure] good looks or our ridiculously raw talent). Something clicked. Maybe you don’t have to quit things just because you aren’t naturally gifted or the best at them. Maybe it is good to do things just because they are FUN.

I was a gypsy again recently. I felt alive exploring new cultures and climbing mountains and mingling with randoms. It’s something I am good at, maybe even great ????. But, for a change, I did not quit my job to go on an adventure, and I had to return to the “real world.” I had to leave Morocco and its many beauties. But I was also excited to get back to my strangely wonderful life in Portugal. Not just because the people and the place are incredible, but also because I have added so many FUN things into my “normal” life repertoire.

I have been a settled gypsy for the last three-ish years and my inner voice keeps telling me to return to the things I’m good at. Things like throwing myself into the wind and sailing to wherever it carries me, or cycling across another continent or sticking out my thumb and seeing where it takes me… But I am still certain that “real [settled] life” can be even more fun than travelling; even if it isn’t easy.

I have started dancing again and drumming and boxing and cycling and sailing and surfing and I say yes to just about anything I get invited to (and sometimes I get out of my comfort zone and simply invite myself). And it is FUN. But every time someone means well and tries to correct me [in an incorrect manner] or makes a comment that touches on that childhood trauma that tells me I am not good enough; I think about quitting. I promise you that if you do anything for long enough, you will improve. And, if you bring the good vibes and fun with you; people won’t mind you joining in, even if you aren’t quite at their level.

Celebrating the survival of an epic cycle through herd of cows and mad dags. This picture was taken as soon as we rejoined the tarmac. My cycle buddy, Stephan, and I are definitely not at the same level. But we like to celebrate every accomplishment at any and every opportunity.

FUN has become one of my core values. FUN gets you out of your comfort zone. FUN makes serious things less serious. FUN brings people together. FUN helps you do things you never thought you could possibly do. FUN gets you singing again. FUN makes you a kid again.

To keep a long blog short, I simply want to remind you to have more FUN and BE MORE KID.