I played Pickleball last week. I am going to a Kenny Chesney concert next week.

These two things have one thing in common: I was only vaguely aware of them.

But after I said yes I was opened not only to the things themselves, but the attitudes and cultures surrounding them. The Tribes, if you will.

Pickleball has a definite culture. It is a very social game that has a chip on its shoulder. It has an image of being a sport played by “old” people (present company excepted, of course, I am a young and spry 56 and Mrs. G can Pilates your face off) and is viewed as less physically challenging than its big brother, tennis.

I have not seen Kenny Chesney yet, but in order to stretch the ol’ mental hammies I started listening to the No Shoes Radio channel on SiriusXM, music curated (a fancy word for “picked”) by Mr. Chesney hisself. The channel is an eclectic mix of country, blues, reggae and classic rock and a heck of a lot of fun.

For those of you silly people who still wear shoes, Kenny Chesney is a better looking version on one James Buffett, complete with the surfing/sailing/fishing lifestyle and a buttery baritone that leads one to believe that Mr. Chesney never lacks for female companionship.

My point? Saying yes can be an impetus to personal growth and a greater understanding of the world. It can change you.

If you told me a week ago that I would be shopping for white athletic shorts and singing Beer in Mexico in the car at the top of my lungs I would have said you were crazy.

Okay, maybe not all change is good.