If you have been a subscriber to 50 Things for some time, you probably know the story behind the name. I first started trying to do 50 new things each year in 2015 and since that time, I have had hundreds of new experiences. For awhile now, I have focused more on “dabbling” than chasing new experiences. While these are related, Dabble means something different to me and is defined by Webster as:
Dabble: to work or involve oneself superficially or intermittently especially in a secondary activity or interest
50 things was focused on experiences I had never had before and included things like a visit to a synagogue, eating an insect meal (e.g., cricket tacos), and singing in public. Dabble is more hands-on. This is not to say that a visit to a place somewhere new will not be part of Dabble but if it is, it will involve more than just a visit and checking off a box.
50 Things was not about bucket list items and neither is Dabble. Bucket list items to me are BIG things that take a lot of planning and are more likely to include once-in-a-lifetime experiences. 50 Things and Dabble activities are more important to me than bucket list items because they provide continuous learning and growth opportunities throughout the year and that is the heart of this newsletter. I will share my “dabbles” and tell you how to dabble in that same activity yourself. I also plan to classify the activities by things like theme, cost, time needed, and more. That way, if you only have a 15 minute window and want to try something new, you will easily be able to get some ideas for something you can do quickly.
Finally, Substack (the platform used to create this newsletter) has added a Notes feature that is available when you read newsletters on the Substack website. I often wondered how to best share quick quotes, book recommendations, summaries of research I find about the benefits continuous learning and trying new things, and more without sending an email to all subscribers to just say “Hey! Look what I found!” I will add these things in Notes so if you are interested, you can find these types of things there.
Thanks for your past interest in, and support of, 50 Things. If you enjoyed it, I’m sure you’ll like Dabble too! As always, please share your ideas for new things to try, let me know what you are up to, and share this newsletter with others who might enjoy it.
Happy Dabbling! - Linda