I have long lived the philosophy of "have fun, don't fall down." Until this summer.
I decided that because I have a kid who plays soccer, maybe I should kick the ball around now and again. So I joined an adult co-ed team.
Oh. Good. God
Adult soccer is much quicker, more physical. The field is bigger and the summer sun intensifies at a rate of about 1 million times hotter than for those lowely few fans on the sidelines. I had no clue what I was doing, but I like to run so I simply followed the ball. I had fun, I fell down alot. I sucked, but I'm happy to be included. Up until the point I was not.
A major difference between adults and kids is that kids are constantly reminded to be nice. At some point, we forget those lessons as adults. You may think I stink, but do you really need to tell me? Probably not.
As this was a fun, all-skill-level league, I didn't do much prep work. Fail on my part. I know I'm not the best, fastest or most aggressive. I get that I don't know all the rules. But make me feel like a bit of an ass about it, and I won't stick around. 
I love to try new things. Just ask my salsa teacher, my burlesque teacher, my aerial arts teacher or my urban pilates teacher.
This experience reminded me that not all things will be my favorite. I've found LOTS of great classes, met new people and generally expanded my life beautifully.
As for soccer, I'll keep that at the 8-year old level, which suits me just fine.
Sometimes all you need is a spotlight, the right music and the annonymity of a dark room full of strangers. I never thought of myself as much of a performer. In small groups, I enjoy holding court with stories and jokes. I can carry a tune within a larger chorus. In the shower, I am the best singer alive. But beyond that? Recently I decided (read: was persuaded) to take a weekend workshop with Burlesque Downtown Underground, a local burlesque troupe. After a few intensive hours of instruction, the goal was to perform a full song show in front of an audience. Ummm...I am a huge fan of the art of burlesque: the coquettish tease, overt sexuality tinged with humor and a slight edge of silly. The performance itself has a long and studied history, was frequently frowned up as is anything that invovles the tantelizing appeal of women, but has evolved into an amazing performance. To watch, yes. To do? I picked my song, finalized my outfit, choreographed my signature moves and waited. Up and until the final show, I wasn't completely sure I could do it. And then .... I did. Complete immersion was required. I teased for an audience of one, despite the room of faces. I found the movement of the song and swayed with it. I focused on the slide of my hands, the pull of cloth from my skin or the tickle of curls against my bare shoulders. I did not reveal more than I was comfortable sharing. I luxuriated in the praise and applause. It was amazing. It revived a level of feminity in myself that is lost in the day-to-day drudge of work, laundry, bills, bath time, tussels over eating vegetables... It also reinforced the belief in me that every woman has a bit of fan dancer living inside of her.
