Express The Sensual

A Personal Story

When I was in high school, my friends and I used to pile into the car on Friday nights and deliberately try to get lost. We would simply choose a freeway, drive until we didn’t recognize any of the street names, and then get off at a random exit. Then we’d either drive around some dark small town telling ghost stories or try to figure out why people were always moving their sofas in the middle of the night. (I swear we saw somebody moving furniture at least once a month) Eventually we’d stop at a well-lit greasy spoon for a midnight snack and ask around for directions back to the freeway.

Basically, it was a cheap form of entertainment (back when gas was only 99cents a gallon). But, years later, I realized those “cheap” Friday night trips had taught me to enjoy wandering and the process of discovery.

Back then, that old beater car didn’t have power steering, let alone an internal Bluetooth cell phone, on-star, or GPS Navigation. But instead of feeling afraid that I might get lost, I always felt excited to see some new town (under the moonlight of course). Instead of worrying about what time I might get home, I looked forward to finding a new place to get great midnight pancakes.  A place that I might never find again once the sun came up.

As a group, we spent the drive sharing experiences, learning from each others mistakes, and laughing at our ridiculous love lives. Every outing had a simple purpose, to find adventure in the ordinary and to find ourselves on a late night drive.

Simple Pleasures

As we get older, sometimes we forget to take the time to wander. We’re always trying to keep up with the neighbors or whatever the media tells us our neighbors are like, instead of taking the time to discover what simple pleasures we really enjoy in life.

Its worthwhile to wander, to get a little lost in life, try new directions, share life lessons with your friends, and laugh together.

What have you got to loose, except a little sleep on a Friday night? More importantly, consider what you have to gain. You might learn to face some of your fears, like laughing off a scary ghost story while lost in an unknown town or asking a stranger for directions. You might discover how amazing your friends really are, or at least which one has the best dating advice. You might even realize that you want to walk a different path than everybody else.

I discovered that I don’t like syrup on my pancakes (just fresh strawberries), and I hate moving furniture in the middle of the night. I also discovered that I loved telling ghost stories and trying to understand why normal people did crazy things… which has lead me to what I love doing now, exploring personal growth and fiction writing.

Tonight, give yourself permission to wander and remember the joy of personal discovery. Because finding your new path could be as easy as taking a drive for midnight pancakes.

How playful is your process of discover? Do you like midnight pancakes? Share your ideas in the comment section!

If you enjoyed the article, please subscribe to ExpressTheSensual.com and share it with your friends using the Share & Enjoy social bookmarking sites. Thank you for your support!

Whenever we are learning something new, many of us have a tendency to get frustrated and disappointed if we don’t get perfect execution within the first few attempts. Not only that, sometimes we don’t give ourselves the chance to celebrate our own small successes because we’re too busy looking toward mastery of that next difficult trick. We try to jump across the river before checking if the current is too swift or if the river bank is too wide.

Approach with Curiosity

But what if we took a minute to enjoy the beauty of the river, respect and learn about its surroundings, and consider that we could build a way across it with small stepping stones. It might be a little slower than jumping or swimming, but it gives us more time and appreciation for the intrinsic nature of the river, and its certainly safer in the long run.

“Success is a journey not a destination – half the fun is getting there.” –Gita Bellin

Life is a Game

In my own experience, I have noticed that when I become obsessed with learning a new “advanced” trick, I start to get tunnel vision. I’ll spend most of my training session working on that one trick and end up grumpy and sore, instead of relaxed and playful. But, when I take the time to honor my own abilities, stay playful in my training, and break the big challenges into smaller ones, I actually enjoy my pole dancing session more and usually make more progress in the end.

The next time, you find yourself faced with a difficult challenge, take a step back to listen to your body, listen to your mind, and cherish what you have already accomplished. Then, evaluate how you can separate your difficult challenge into a series of more manageable challenges. For example, it is very counterproductive and unwise to try and lift 200lbs if you can only lift 100lbs right now. But, if you give yourself time, the proper training, and then celebrate being able to lift 110lbs, then you have a lot better chance to eventually reach your goal of 200lbs.

All steps, whether they are easy or hard, can still take you forward along your path, especially when you give yourself the time and permission to play in the river. When you celebrate these small stepping stones, you honor yourself and your journey.

How do your approach a challenge? How do you celebrate when you succeed? Share your ideas in the comment section!

If you enjoyed the article, please subscribe to ExpressTheSensual.com and share it with your friends using the Share & Enjoy social bookmarking sites. Thank you for your support!