Opening my email this morning, this headline shone brightly on my screen: She hiked the entire Appalachian Trail at 80, unaware she’d just made history. It continued: “We put all kinds of limitations on ourselves,” said Betty Kellenberger. “Sometimes the biggest one is we don’t get up and try it.”

Don’t you love that? And, isn’t it the truth?

Betty Kellenberger’s story reminded me of Meryl Streep’s portrayal in the 2016 movie, Florence Foster Jenkins. It’s a true story about a woman who wanted to sing at Carnegie Hall in New York City. She didn’t know she couldn’t carry a tune, and her friends didn’t tell her because they didn’t want to hurt her feelings or spoil her dream. Besides that, they knew she could not, in a million years, land a gig at Carnegie Hall. Well, despite her lack of talent, she did sing at Carnegie Hall. When people in the audience threw things at her and many walked out, she sadly realized she lacked a singing voice. But, as she was leaving the concert, standing tall and looking quite proud, she said to her companion, “People may say I couldn’t sing, but no one can ever say I didn’t sing.”

I said that line to myself, just yesterday, as I finished drawing my 2025 Christmas card. I thought it to be less than great, but then I remembered Florence’s line and said, “People may say I couldn’t draw, but no one can ever say I didn’t draw.”

Trying something new, even if it’s not going as planned, can earn a better score than doing the same old thing perfectly. Don’t you think?

Like the saying, “Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” Substitute any word for loved—it’s still true.

As we approach the start of a new year, consider what you would like to do but have never tried before, while you’re busy with holiday festivities.

You may want to get a tattoo, parachute from a plane, or walk barefoot across a river. You can learn how to play Mah Jongg, take that drive down Historic U.S. Route 66, or rent that little beach condo, lounge in the blue Adirondack, and breathe, smell, see, and feel.

The point is, don’t fail because you don’t try. Think large or small—but try.

Of the many inspiring quotes related to failure, today, I like these two:

• “Remember the guy who quit? Neither does anyone else!”—Unknown source
• “The secret of life is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.” — Paulo Coelho

I’m wishing you a smile and a skip in your step. Both start with a thought.

Until the next time: Live while you live.

Jennifer Goble, Ph.D., LPC, is the author of “My Clients…My Teachers,” and the blogger and writer of Rural Women Stories: www.ruralwomenstories.com.

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