Did you know that the expert in anything, and I mean ANYTHING, was once a beginner? Hard to believe sometimes when you’re watching things like the Olympics or players in the NFL. When you’re reading a science text book or your favorite romance novel. All those people, athletes and writers alike, were once a beginner at something that they are now great at. Something they are now known for. Isn’t that crazy to think about? It is for me. Because in my head, I want to be an expert at something one day. I want to be known, even if it is amongst the littlest of crowds, for something. And not as Amputee Josie either. Just as Josie, Josie.

However, as Amputee Josie, I am known out in Social Media-land for being an expert in balance. You would be amazed at the number of comments and DM’s I get on a daily basis asking how long it took me to get so good at balancing on one leg. And I never know how to answer that, because it is something I never practiced at. It’s something I never worked toward or trained for. Like, it just came. Just as sitting, crawling, standing, walking comes to a baby/toddler. It’s just a thing that kind of just happened over time. However, I also know that my age plays a huge factor in my balance. The strength & build of a 23 year old is much different than that of a 45 year old. So, there really isn’t a good answer to that question because there are SO MANY variables. Therefore, I don’t consider myself an expert in balance, personally, because it’s something that just happened. Just like a lot of you reading this right now when it comes to standing or walking. Most people with two legs would say the exact same thing if I would ask them how long it took them to get so good at walking. “Ummm….somewhere between 1 & 2 years old?”. See what I mean?

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Now onto Josie, Josie. I’m no expert in literally anything. I have dreams to be great at a lot of things, but I’m nowhere near an expert in anything…. yet. But, if I could do anything, within the realm of my sort of “anything’s”, of course, I would want to be an expert traveler. I want to fill my life with so much adventure, that when I am 80 years old, I have so many stories to tell & not just stuff to show. You know what I mean? Outside of my near death experiences, I feel as if I have very little adventures to share with anyone. So maybe I don’t JUST want to be an expert traveler, but more like an experience expert. If that makes sense? An experience doesn’t have to cost a cent, or it might, but I want to experience it all. I want to know what it feels like to stand at the edge of the Grand Canyon. I want to watch my kids face light up when they catch that first glimpse of the castle at Disney Land. I want to hear my kids name come booming out of the announcers mouth when they swish a 3 pointer in a close game against a rivalry school. I want to feel the thrill and terror of a solo travel somewhere. I want to stand, one foot and all, at the edge of both the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans. Actually, I want to swim, just like a mermaid in both. I want to just drive with no destination in mind, and find an adventure worth writing about. I want to see the first time my daughter lands that back handspring, that she has been practicing for months, without any assistance. I want to help my husband break up a massive party my kids threw when they thought we were gone for the night. Like, I just want to experience it ALL. The good, bad, and amazing parts of every single thing. I may be a beginner right now, as I write this, but if I could be an expert at anything one day, it would be this right here. An expert in experiences. In all reality, I just want to live a life where I never run out of stories to tell.

So, how do you finish a post like this? A post where I talk about experts, but I am nowhere near an expert at all? Just have dreams about being an expert in experiences, amongst so many others. The truthful answer is that I don’t know. So, this is what I am going to do instead. If you could be an expert in anything, and I quite literally mean anything, what would it be? And, again, remember that all experts started out as beginners. So it may be something that you never have personally done….yet. But maybe one day? So… what would it be? Expert Surgeon (of your choosing)? Expert Chef? Expert Traveler? Expert Teacher? Expert _____________? The possibilities are endless. And the sky isn’t even the limit because there are foot prints on the moon. So… don’t choose wisely. Choose something just because it sounds fun or because it’s what your heart desires. We spend too much time doing what we are told to do. But not this time. Because dreams are ours. No one gets to say what we can or cannot dream up. And the good dreams, the ones that make our hearts happy, are the dreams worth chasing. So, maybe one day you’ll find yourself as an expert in something that feels like such a dream. That’s when you know you really made it. When you’re living a life that feels like a dream. I not only wish that for myself, I wish that for you, too. So what’s your expertise going to be?

Wishing you the best beginning of your biggest dream yet!

Love, The One Legged Mom