What’s your name?’ Thankfully, I didn’t reply ‘girl’. Recently, however, while doing some imaginary skipping in my head, I felt as if I understood why those were happy times, in spite of all the awkwardness.

The only thing that people cared about was whether you had jumped off the deep end of the pool, because it meant you were a grown up. Bubble tea is my latest ‘happy’ discovery, and at least part of the reason for my new mantra in life: Be open to change.

While the thought of ‘chewing’ on juice ‘bubbles’ didn’t seem like a pleasant thing to do at the time, I went ahead and tried it anyway. It was fun. And, if nothing else, it served as a helpful reminder that sometimes it pays to jump off the deep end. It means we’ve grown up.