Big Love

Newness is necessary to change your view and experience

It was the jalapeño infused margarita, the silly airport novel, a class on plants as medicine, an Instagram song, and the movie Magic Mike’s Last Dance. They all made me laugh or smile. And they helped me to step outside the norm of day-to-day life.

Case in point, Magic Mike’s Last Dance, a 2023 movie with actors Channing Tatum and Salma Hayek. A friend recommended it. I hadn’t seen any of the previous Magic Mike movies, but I knew it had something to do with stripping, and beside the film Flashdance, this was a new arena. I decided to watch the movie recently and approached it with an open mind. The film opens with a dance that was both sexy and even a little romantic. I liked that the main characters were people of an older age too and that they were totally hot.

Since setting out on my own after being in a relationship, I have experienced moments when everything was new again, yet old at the same time. The spice of life had gone past its shelf date.

And yet no one is coming to rescue me. So what to do?

I needed to shake things up. To embody a new perspective. So I cultivated humor, and silliness, and the willingness to try new things.

The jalapeño infused margarita with lime and chili salt, so good. So spicy. (I drink occasionally and don’t typically opt for the margarita.)

The airport novel, totally loved it, and can’t remember one character’s name. I read it sitting by the pool. (I often opt for nonfiction.)

The Instagram song Lil Boo Thang by Paul Russell, such a fun Friday Vibe. (I have been on a country kick.)

The plant medicine class, taste testing for sweet, salty, etc. and heat or cooling sensations in the body. Out there but also really interesting. (My knowledge was limited and focused on flower remedies.)

The book The Not So Big Life: Making Room For What Really Matters by Sarah Susanka speaks to this shaking things up. Always come home and drink a glass of wine? Try not doing that. Always wear your hair long? How about a cut? I did take some of this to heart. I have worn my hair in different styles often, including very short and very long. Drinking at happy hour with neighbors? Been there but have also had other non-alcoholic teas in the evening. Susanka asks us to look at what we think defines us as us, and to see what happens when we let go.

It is like poet Robert Frost said, “I chose the path less chosen…” Keep it fresh, vibrant, light.