This post is inspired by my new towels.

You might be thinking, “Alright she has really lost her marbles this time,” but that’s just not the case. First of all, I don’t think I’ve ever owned any marbles thus I have no marbles to lose. And if it’s my sanity you are worried about, does this really look like the face of someone who’s going a little crazy?

I didn’t think so.

Sooo where was I?

New towels.

I got some new towels for my birthday last week. I didn’t ask for towels, not because I didn’t want them but because I didn’t know what I wanted. It turns out that new towels ended up being one of the most exciting gifts I’ve ever received!

Unlike the old, mismatched and slightly scratchy towels I’d been using, these new towels are awesome! I was feeling very grown up as I started pulling towels out of the gift bag…hand towel, face cloth, bath mat, larger-than-a-hand-towel-but-not-too-large-perfect-for-wrapping-up-wet-hair towel…and then there was one more. I held a large towel in my hands and became very confused.

”What is this one for?”

“It’s a bath sheet.”

“But what do I do with it?”

“It’s a towel. Like a towel-towel. Like for showers.”

Before you start to think that I’m just the most clued out person ever, you should know that I’ve never had my own ‘bath sheet’ before. (Side note: who knew that those large towels were even called bath sheets?) You see, for as long as I can remember I’ve used beach towels. When I was growing up we all used beach towels for showers because you could buy large, inexpensive and relatively sturdy beach towels at Costco in a variety of fun patterns, perfect for three kids who shared a bathroom and didn’t want to get their towels mixed up.

That’s just how we did it. I so clearly remember being the first kid home one day when my mom had bought us all new towels and getting first pick (I am the youngest child so getting first pick was very exciting)! In fact, just a few weeks ago I noticed that my towel was getting scratchy and I’ve been meaning to ask my mom to pick me up a new one next time she was at Costco. As I said, beach towels are just what I know.

So when I pulled out the bath sheet I didn’t know what to do with it. It seems silly now but it never occurred to me that I could use anything other than a beach towel.

It never occurred to me that there was another way.

Before I continue I just want to say that my new towels are absolutely delightful! It’s like being hugged by a cloud. I’m not talking about real clouds…the large collections of tiny droplets of water or ice crystals…I’m talking about fluffy and trampoline-like clouds, the kind that I dreamed about jumping on as a kid. My old towel has a fun pattern, but look how sophisticated my new bath sheet is! (By the way the wine glass is just to emphasize the level of sophistication.)

Energized by the awesomeness of my new towels, I started to wonder about my routines and my habits…how many times have I done something a certain way just because it never occurred to me there was another way to do it? I love a good routine as much as the next person. Truthfully, I probably love a good routine more than the next person; I’m a big fan of tradition and not a big fan of change.

But sometimes change is a good thing! Sometimes an open mind or a willingness to try something new is worth it.

When my sister graduated from a crib to a real bed (and just in case there is any confusion this is not a recent event but one that happened before I was even born!) she didn’t know she could get out of it on her own. After she woke up she would call for my mom to come take her out of bed because she just assumed she was stuck in bed like she had been stuck in her crib.

Aside from Natasha being a cute toddler and aside from this being a cute anecdote, this story has a point. She was stuck in bed because of boundaries that didn’t even exist. How often do we limit ourselves by never bothering to find out if the barriers holding us back are even real or not? My first word was “uh-oh” and my nickname is Careful so I’m all for being cautious, but sometimes taking a chance and venturing over the edge of the bed is worth it.

I don’t want to be stuck in bed and I don’t want to go through the rest of my life using a beach towel instead of a bath sheet. Literally and figuratively.

In case I haven’t said it enough times already, my new towels are awesome. And I want as much awesomeness in my life as possible which means keeping an open mind and being willing to do some things differently from how I’ve always done them. I’m grateful for my new cloud-hugging towels, but I’m also really appreciative for the reminder and encouragement to let go of what I know and try something new. Different isn’t always scary. Sometimes it’s fun. Sometimes it’s eye-opening. Sometimes it’s freeing.

And sometimes it’s awesome.

You know what else is awesome? My new towels. Alright I’m done now!