Marcy Light's TIMID NO MORE

Happy Memorial Day, fellow Americans. Make sure you take the time to honor those who have died in the name of our country.

Thank you, Great-uncle Alan, our brave hero of World War I.

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I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend.  I wanted to post a trip report of an awesome, breath-taking hike the girls and I accomplished this past week, but...that hike didn't happen.  It rained (and snowed!) heavily for five straight days here in the Whites.  Stream crossings became swollen and dangerous, and ice covered the higher rocks.  Not exactly the best conditions to tackle granite ledges.  In addition, I caught the 24-hour bug that's been going around (Alex and Sage are fine).

Arg.

The forced break from trekking did have a silver lining, however; I got to finish the excellent e-book by Marcy Light, Timid No More.   Marcy's the woman behind the inspirational site, (Don't Be) Too Timid and Squeamish. 

Image copied from amazon.com

Timid No More is Light's account of her 101 Things in 1001 Days.  101 Things is a list of challenges the author made for herself; her goal was to break out of her comfort zone by accomplishing things she had always wanted to do (or, felt she should do), but, for whatever reason, hadn't.  Light's list was inspired by Michael Green's Day Zero Project -- visit his site to join the online community of people "who love creating lists, setting challenges, and making positive changes in their lives."   

Light's 101 Things include both the bold and the mundane, therefore her account has a refreshing "everywoman" feel.  Many of the items are endeavors most folks can probably tackle...though that's not to say any one of them is easy.  For example, number 47, "Jump off a cliff," scares the bejeesus out of me...I'd need a few glasses of wine and a hardy shove to accomplish something like that.  I also don't see myself getting a pedicure (number 60) anytime soon, since I don't like strange or sharp objects touching my toes.  Most of the other items, however, are things I now want to do myself.  Riding a mechanical bull (number 19) and getting a makeover (65) sound like fun.  Visiting five Roadside America attractions (number 82) is right up my alley (I love visiting strange and offbeat places!).  Attending a wine tasting (48)...well, YES, of course.  And so on.

Light's book does not include all her 101 Things, since she's still working on her list (follow her progress here).  Only forty-five of her accomplishments are described -- but they're an excellent forty-five.  Her piece on not complaining for an entire week had me riveted, as did her description of visiting the Parthenon.  "Attend a UU church meeting" resonated with me, as I too am not a fan of organized religion (and I applaud Light's declaration of atheism...that was brave...it's not easy being a public agnostic or atheist in this country).  I smiled at her experience in the Trash Museum, and her less-than-optimal performance in "World of Warcraft" made me laugh out loud.

Light's an excellent writer.  She's descriptive, witty, and to-the-point.  Her text is punctuated with photographs and links to interesting websites (an advantage of the e-book format).  Timid No More is a quick and entertaining read, and it'll inspire you to create and tackle your own list of interesting challenges.

Off to look up what bizarre Roadside America attractions New Hampshire has to offer...oh look, there's a four-legged chicken in Dover...

Image copied from http://www.flux-boston.com