Hello Pretties,

Reels? Who me? Yep me! Instagram is still my favorite social media platform and Reels just made me love it even more. Reels like its cousin TikTok are short videos, almost always accompanied by music or a voiceover. Now, some reels are super good with amazing transitions and some reels are informative on every level from relationships, cooking, fitness, and of course fashion, to beauty. And, some are so dang funny that I can’t help but laugh out loud at some of the foolishness. So many young folks do Reels and TikToks and I admit I was intimidated but I really wanted to try it out. My first reel was just a series of photos super easy, so I had to pick something else a bit more challenging!

After weeks of watching reel after reel, I saw quite a few people doing the one that is basically an intro, where you share some key tidbits about yourself. It is accompanied by the song Zodiac by Will Gittens.

It was on and poppin’ once I made my choice. Did I tell y’all it took 2 weeks for me to figure this out? I was trying to remember the lyrics and match my pointing (see below) to the music. That was a fail. I could not quite nail it.

Then a lightbulb moment, it is not the music, it is the count. There were 7 movements so I just needed to point in 7 different directions! Then I headed to YouTube University and studied how to add the text to sync with the music. 

Put on cute graphic tee that catches the eye and voila, you got a reel! I was on cloud-9 and it dawned on me this was so fun, but I learned some things!

3 Lessons

1. When you learn new things, you create new neural pathways, which is fantastic for the brain. As we age, we need to keep learning and trying new things. I made my brain happy while helping stave off conditions such as dementia.
2. What a confidence booster! I was perfectly happy watching reels from the sidelines, but now I am part of the action. It was not a flawless performance, but I will get better over time.
3. You are never too old to do anything…PERIOD!

I say keep trying new things no matter how daunting or intimidating they may seem. What new thing have you tried lately?