It’s bizarre to look back at the time with This Thing We Do (TTWD). It’s been a handful of years now (my own 7r Twitter-versary came up) and I was going back through our posts and journals to each other. But also, it’s been about changing as we go forward.

I know when we started really exploring, there was a lot (and I mean a LOT) of nervous talk, elementary school giggles, and “I can’t imagine that…” type conversations. It was so foreign and seemed so much like odd things to consider, strange to think of as fun (“hey, let’s try impact play” just isn’t a logical thing to say, let alone launch into out of the blue, and yet here we are).

I think the biggest life lessons for me, particularly in this space, come down to a very simple concept.

Try it.

I mean, sure. There are definitely things that don’t work with our own desires and headspace, and I always smirk at the people that say they’ll try literally anything once. Yeah, but have you REALLY thought that through? There are bound to be things that you didn’t know were out there, that are just not your cup of tea.

But, generally, I’ve almost never regretted just going with the flow and trying things we’ve stumbled into as interesting (and specifically ONE of us has stumbled into…). I have, looking back, regretted just dismissing ideas without consideration or giving it a serious try.

So, for me, it’s been to learn to be so very much more open to ideas. Open to new approaches. Open to new opportunities. Open to new sensations. New structures.

I apply a lot of this in my other lives too – I have learned that just because I’d never thought of something in a particular way, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t work or isn’t helpful or whatever. It’s worth really considering the different options that are brought up. From hobbies to learning a new thing to books to, well, just about everything.

So that’s the life lesson I most struggle with. Remember to try it. To consider it. And to enjoy the ride.