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A 20 Something's Amateur Hour
A look into the life and mind of a 20 something year old, stepping outside of her comfort zone!
Caution: The following post contain a ton of Disney references, links to some of my favorite Disney songs, and a myriad of first times!
This past weekend I was off to find adventure in the great wide somewhere with two of my close friends, Tobias and Michele. It was Tobias's birthday and Michele wanted a spontaneous weekend of fun. So I dusted off my magic carpet and fueled up for whatever might come our way.
About 10 minutes into the allotted hour, we sat hunched over trying to catch our breath but as Peter Pan tells us, never grow up! So we moved over to another station and took a dive into the foam pit of fear, fighting the dastardly pirates to find the hidden treasurer, or in this case, the bottles of Gatorade that we all desperately needed. It was such a fun experience and despite being some of the oldest people jumping, I would definitely go to Sky Zone again! Everyone, and I mean everyone, can use a day of mindless jumping around!
After stumbling into the brisk but warm day in a sweaty mess with trembling legs, we hopped on a surf board to take a "Hawaiian Roller Coaster" ride, surfing the waves all the way down to Atlantic City. We sought out a "Whole New World" to relax with the “Bare Necessities,” something fairly easy to do in AC on the off season. Though trips to the beach can often be expensive, being that it was off season it was not so bad! We were able to park for free, my favorite kind of parking. We rushed just around the River bend and found ourselves at the water edge, breathing in the familiar smell of salt water. We walked up and down the boardwalk, walked through an AC casino (which are insanely crowded, with hundreds and hundreds of brightly lit machines making loud noises, people drinking, smoking, and yelling at machines/other people. Completely bunkers!), ate at a Margaritaville and sat on the balcony of a Landshark! It was such a wonderful trip of first times.
OH, and Something I forgot! The most important part of a first! Having your gang with you. I could not have had my Hakuna Matata without my Pumba and Simba (yes I am a Timon, and if you have seen Lion King 1½ you would know it by the scene with Timon making a song out of his job. Haven’t seen it? (Click Here). Anyway, we found our place of no worries and had an amazing time. Sometimes a first simply requires throwing caution to the wind and remember to, as Jiminy Cricket says, "always let your conscience be your guide!"
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Well next came the kick boxing and it was nothing short of awesome. I was jabbing, elbowing, kicking, punching, and still barely breathing. It was one of the best work outs I have ever had. The video concluded with a few minutes of cardio and a cool down. I felt great! I forgot how good it feels to complete a work out. I forgot about the rush of endorphins in your brain that follows a satisfying working and how much your muscles scream and how amazing a torso and glutes stretch could be. The next morning, man was I sore! I could barely move my arms and my core hurt to laugh. That cardio kickboxing honestly kicked my butt but that trainer was so encouraging and helpful that I was more than happy to do it again the next day, pushing through the pain.
Since I was a child my mom would tell me that motorcycles were dangerous. She emphasized the fact that being on one in the event of a crash is basically serious or fatal injury. It was not until I heard one particular fact about motorcycles that I immediately vowed never to step on one. It was the day I found out that many people in the medical profession call motorcyclists organ donors. With anxiety having a strong hold on my brain, it is easy to associate things with the worst possible scenario that they can cause, and in this case it was death. One morning while I was visiting my sister in Delaware, my sister, her boyfriend and I stepped in the garage to get ready to run an errand and I saw one sitting right there in front of me. It was white and black with shiny pegs for your feet and heated handle bars. Just the sight of it triggered the thought of being called "organ donor" but then I remembered something else. I was writing a blog about exciting new experiences. If I was going to step out of my comfort zone this would be the perfect opportunity. I pushed aside the negative thoughts and pointed to the motorcycle, "I want a ride."
We arrived at our destination that was about a 20 minute ride away. I was in one piece and my adrenaline caused my legs to shake as I walked into the house. I sat at the table and thought, "Holy crap I just got on a motorcycle! What was I thinking! Why didn't my anxiety stop me!" In this moment, I took a deep breath. This was my first step towards stepping out of my comfort zone and living and I did it! It was so easy! It was then that I realized something about myself, I could actually do things that scared me. I felt a stronger reassurance in what I have slowly learned over the last few years, anxiety is what you make of it. You can let it control you or you can fight back and let me tell you, of all the times it has beaten me down, it felt good to fight back. Without even thinking twice, I heard myself say, "Can I ride the motorcycle back as well?"
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