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" Every month, Melanie Moretti offers her unique perspective on life, love and living in Cleveland. This month, she talks about the importance of trying new things, and chats with author Sarah Brokaw, psychologist and author of Fortytude, about a few fun ways to step our of your comfort zone.   September 1, 2011   I&amp;#039;ve always loved trying new things\u2014it&amp;#039;s why I wrote my book, 200 Things Every Woman Should Do Before She Dies. It&amp;#039;s also why Breakfast at Tiffany&amp;#039;s is my favorite movie: I love when Holly and her friend Paul spend the day doing activities they&amp;#039;ve never done before\u2014like sipping champagne before breakfast and getting a Cracker Jack ring engraved at Tiffany&amp;#039;s. Since this year marks the film&amp;#039;s 50th anniversary, I&amp;#039;m planning my own day of adventure.   But as wonderful as this idea sounds, it&amp;#039;s also a little intimidating. For advice, I spoke with Brokaw. &amp;quot;We&amp;#039;re often hesitant to try something new because we assume it&amp;#039;s reckless, time-consuming and costly,&amp;quot; she told me. &amp;quot;But it&amp;#039;s also a great way to step out of your comfort zone.&amp;quot; Her suggestions:   \u2022 Volunteer as a tour guide. Contact your local tourism board and offer to share your knowledge on a topic you&amp;#039;re passionate about. \u2022 Audit a class at a community college. &amp;quot;Being graded can be too much pressure,&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;This gets you in the classroom without the stress.&amp;quot; \u2022 Try a fun new workout. Juggling, for example, burns 280 calories per hour and improves your coordination. Go to JuggleFit.com for a DVD kit.   Talking to Brokaw inspired me to take the plunge. As Holly would say, &amp;quot;What a splendid idea, darling!&amp;quot;   August 1, 2011   A recent dating experiment got me, a divorc\u00E9e, and my three single friends talking about no-strings-attached relationships. I&amp;#039;ve decided they&amp;#039;re not for me; I have too much trouble letting go\u2014not just in dating, but with my family, too. When my kids head back to college it never fails to surprise me\u2014the teary-eyed mom\u2014how easily they say goodbye, no strings attached. There are still some strings, of course\u2014most notably purse strings (always being loosened, not tightened). But it&amp;#039;s not the same. The first time both kids were out of the house I wallowed in what psychologists call &amp;quot;empty nest syndrome&amp;quot;\u2014I was sad, depressed and lonely. But when I moved to Cleveland, I realized there&amp;#039;s life after kids. My friends, of course, have been a huge help in making my nest feel less empty. I&amp;#039;ll never be a no-strings-attached kind of mom, but I&amp;#039;ve learned to let the strings stretch a bit.   If you&amp;#039;re confronting an empty nest, here are three great resources to help: \u2022 Chicken Soup for the Soul: Empty Nesters ($14.95; Amazon.com). Relatable stories from parents who&amp;#039;ve been in the same position. \u2022 ActiveEmptyNesters.com. A new (and free!) social networking site for parents with grown children. Invite friends to join and enjoy travel, entertainment and restaurant discounts. \u2022 Serve.gov. Type in your zip code to find volunteer opportunities near you.   July 1, 2011   Maybe it&amp;#039;s because I just moved to Cleveland\u2014a rock-and-roll mecca\u2014but I recently rediscovered a secret dream of mine: playing guitar on stage. SoI convinced my girlfriends to enter a &amp;quot;battle of the bands&amp;quot; competition. We imagined ourselves as the Supremes, but after hours of practicing we were the Extremes\u2014as in, extremely tired, extremely cranky and extremely bad. I needed inspiration, so I turned to Cleveland&amp;#039;s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum\u2014a true American landmark. I checked out their Women Who Rock exhibit, honoring 70 female artists, and became awestruck by the tenacity of these ladies. Did you know Joan Jett self-released her solo album after being rejected by 23 record labels? I left feeling reenergized\u2014and ready to win the competition. We came in third, but following my dream was, in the end, extremely rewarding. If you share my musical aspirations, use these online resources to get started:   \u2022 Perfect your singing or learn to play an instrument by visiting take lessons.com to find a teacher near you. \u2022 Songsmith creates background music to match your voice\u2014just sing into your computer&amp;#039;s microphone. Download a free trial at Research.Microsoft.com/Songsmith. \u2022 Connect your keyboard or guitar to your Mac, and Apple&amp;#039;s GarageBand software teaches you the basics. Go to www.Apple.com/iLife/GarageBand.   Valerie Bertinelli plays Melanie Moretti on TV Land&amp;#039;s hit sitcom Hot in Cleveland,airing Wednesday nights at 10 ET, 9 CT. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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