Every day, I face my inadequacies about not getting ‘it’ right or knowing enough. All of my shortcomings rear their ugly heads. But today I celebrate facing those gremlins.
For over a year I have been studying Spanish every single week. I have met with a teacher from Mexico and practiced, sometimes twice per week.
Am I fluent? No. Can I understand a conversation in the grocery store or in the airport? Not yet. But I can muddle through when I need or want to. In fact, I want to communicate not only to feel accomplished but to connect with people in new ways.
It’s not easy to put myself out there, to be rejected in some way, but the risk is worth it because I feel more confident in pushing my boundaries. Maybe others will be inspired to take a chance, too.
I don’t want to stay home and wait to die. I want to live. Learning Spanish is helping me to be alive. In fact, I hesitated to book my first trip back in February 2022 until I heard the song by Marc Anthony: Vivir Mi Vida.
Voy a reír (I’m going to laugh),
Voy a bailar (I’m going to dance),
Vivir mi vida (Live my life),
…with many passionate la la la’s.
Being back in Mexico is sure to be another great adventure. My upcoming trip will be my 3rd visit in just over a year.
This (above) all came to realization today, because my homework was to write for my teacher. I could write anything, but I couldn’t use Google Translate. I procrastinated for days. At this point, she needs to test how I’m really doing so that she can best guide my learning journey.
At age 59 (and a half), I celebrate not getting it right and giggling to myself. I’ll never know enough – and that’s a good thing!
