Embrace.

Shabbat Shalom!!! I'm not Jewish, but my family just feels more of a connection to Judaism to the religion that we are now, so I know a lot about Jewish customs and such. Shabbat, which is a day of rest, begins before sunset on Friday when the candles are lit. You're not supposed to work on the Sabbath and should be peaceful, though partying is expected.

This post isn't about the Sabbath, so I don't know why I told you that! Regardless of what religion you are or if you even identify a religion within yourself, it's good to know. This post is supposed to be on the topic of embracing new experiences. I have had the opportunity to try many new things in my life and I am forever grateful for that. The ability to be able to travel (though mine has not been extensive, seriously), experience new cultures, people and things is invaluable. The education that I have received throughout my life has been the absolute best and I thank my parents and the schools that I have attended for accepting me and molding me into the young woman that I am.

I had the chance today to try something new and I did. Not because it was something to check off my bucket list, but because I truly wanted to do it. It did take me a while, and by a while I mean months to convince myself that this was a good idea, but I got around to doing it and it felt good. I felt at peace and I felt "full" knowing that I had done this thing that I have been afraid of doing for as long as I could remember. Peer pressure didn't plague me, my parents didn't force me, I did this myself and it honestly felt good. 

My point in this post was not to tell y'all about my new experience (clearly, I do not want to. I'm not comfortable sharing things that are that personal to me on the Internet, even if I am anonymous! I may reveal my identity later on). It was to share why you should embrace new experiences even if you're afraid. I'm known for being the scaredy cat, the girl that never takes risks for fear of embarrassment, failure or, I don't know, arrest (hey, I don't think jumping off the house into the pool is legal...is it?), but once I took this chance today and really looked back on it, I was happy that I did it. I was happy that I made this decision for myself and I felt better than awesome at the end of the day. So I leave you with this--don't miss out on those wonderful opportunities that are presented to you. Take that class you want to take. Buy that beautiful bag that your friends don't like, but you love. Bungee jump for all I care! All I know is that if you don't take that chance, nothing is going to come out of it and you'll be stuck at that point in your life that you've been dying to leave behind.

Signed,

Penelope P.