I think a lot of things in my life have started with simply wondering what would happen if I gave something a try.
In the past, I probably would have looked at a new idea from a much longer-term perspective. Is this something I am going to keep doing? Where is this going? Does it make sense?
In this season, I am learning to approach things differently.
Sometimes I just want to know: How does this feel? Do I enjoy it? Is this something I want more of in my life?
Gardening is a good example.
My family and I started gardening in 2020. Like a lot of people during that time, we were looking for things to do, and gardening became one of them.
We did not start with a long-term plan.
We just began.
Six years later, we are still at it.
Along the way, we have figured out what we like to grow, what we probably will not plant again, and more about companion plants and pollinators.
This year, our sunflowers had one of their best seasons yet. They were still blooming in October and brought monarch butterflies, honeybees, other butterflies, and even a few hummingbirds into the yard.
I love seeing all that activity.
I plant the seeds, and then I get to watch other parts of God's creation doing their work too.
What began as something to do has become something we continue to enjoy and grow with.
Not every experiment lasts that long.
Recently, I have also been thinking about simplifying our home and having more freedom to take short trips and explore.
So we traveled two weekends in a row.
That experience taught me something pretty simple.
I like getting away.
I also really like quiet weekends at home.
Packing, leaving, coming back, unpacking, and doing it all again made me realize that this kind of rhythm might work better for us with a few adjustments.
That was useful to know.
The experience was still worthwhile, even if the answer was not, “Yes, let’s do this all the time.”
Sometimes the answer is yes.
Sometimes it is no.
Sometimes it is, “Maybe, but differently.”
I think that middle answer is becoming more important to me.
I am also working on having fewer expectations when I explore something new.
I am not quite at no expectations yet. That might be asking a little too much of me.
But I am getting better at letting the experience tell me something instead of deciding what it has to become before I even begin.
Maybe you learn a few notes on the piano. Maybe you plant something once. Maybe you take the trip. Maybe you pick up a hobby you have wondered about.
None of it has to become a long-term commitment to matter.
Sometimes you simply walk away knowing yourself a little better.
That is where some of the joy has been for me.
Being curious.
Paying attention.
Making adjustments.
And seeing where a small experiment might lead.