New Beginning

I’m trying to think of something that really would be the first time. Most things that I want to try are things that I’ve already touched on to some degree. But what would be totally new? More to the point, is there anything that I would like to do that would be totally new? Surely, now that I’m in my 60s, if I wanted to try it, I would have done so.

I asked my friend, Microsoft Copilot to list 20 hobbies. I’ll create a table and indicate my response:

Hobby	Response
Reading	I’m always doing that 😀.
Gardening	I have done a tiny bit – so I could try, but it wouldn’t be for the first time.
Cooking & Baking	I’ve done a little bit – I would like to do more sometime soon.
Fitness & Home Workouts	I do a little, but I’d like to do more
Traveling	I don’t do much nowadays, but I am an armchair traveler. I could visit somewhere outside Europe – that would be a first.
Photography	I did a little bit of that.
Painting & Drawing	Who hasn’t tried that? I could try something like oil painting. I painted one picture in the Vermillion VR oil painting app on my Meta Oculus.
Playing Musical Instruments	I’m always doing that. But I could find an instrument that I’ve never played.
DIY Crafts & Home Décor	Co-pilot says that Candle-making, pottery, and macramé are trending globally. I could try these. I’d need to find out what macramé is first 😀.
Learning Languages	I did Irish and French in school, but I never really conquered them. I could go back and try them again. I did make a feeble attempt to learn New Testament Greek and Hebrew at one stage. That’s something that I could try again. But it wouldn’t be for the first time.
Journaling & Creative Writing	Despite writing this blog, I don’t really see it as journaling or creative writing. Perhaps I could investigate these and try them.
Meditation & Breathwork	I used to think that there was something sinister about these, but now I see no harm in them. I don’t see anything magical about them, but simple repetitive actions calm the mind, and I like a calm mind.
Fishing	I do this in virtual reality (VR) on my Meta Oculus. I did do a tiny bit of fishing in real life, but I wouldn’t like to kill a fish, though I do eat fish.
Watching Movies & Streaming Shows	Believe it or not, I’ve done this! I’m such an amazing person 😀.
Martial Arts	We were all interested in Kung Fu back in the 1970s, but anyone who tried it swiftly gave up. That’s about the only thing on the list that’s totally new. I can’t see myself trying it though. I think I might have done it in virtual reality (VR), but I wouldn’t want to fight a real person.
Jewelry Making	I’ve never done that, apart from daisy chains 😀 but it’s not something that would interest me at all, though I do admire people who do it.
Podcasting & Content Creation	I’ve certainly created content. I don’t have the confidence to do podcasting.
Volunteering	I’ve done a little bit of that from time to time. I’d like to find something that was useful, that I enjoy and that I’m especially good at.
Board Games & Puzzles	I’ve done that, but mainly with the computer. It’s a long time since I played with real people.
Hiking & Camping	I’ve done a little bit. I don’t relish the thought of camping. Too scared of spiders 😀.

I always like to weave music and the Bible into my posts. It won’t be easy today, but I’ll do it anyway. So here goes. I’ll begin with two secular songs.

Does the Bible say anything about trying new things? Well, the whole New Testament is all about trying new things. Nicodemus learned this when he met Jesus.

John 3:1-3
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” ³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

2 Corinthians 5:17
¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

And even in the Old Testament, we read prophecies of new heavens and a new earth. Eventually it’ll be all creation, but it begins in the human heart.

Isaiah 65:17
“See, I will create
    new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
    nor will they come to mind.

As for trying new things, we could think of Peter imitating Jesus who walked on the water. Peter did succeed initially, but when his attention turned from Jesus, he started sinking. I’ve never attempted to walk on water, but sometimes, facing everyday challenges feels like that. And when I lose sight of Jesus, I get that sinking feeling, but Jesus lifts me up.