My husband is not the fighting sort. So needless to say, I was surprised to hear he had decided to start going to boxing classes. He came back from his first one thrilled, having loved the physical exercise and the different kind of movement.

Basic-level boxing has become a very popular way to keep fit, and expanded recently to be accessed by many more people at an introductory level. But it was not something my husband ever expected to get into, thinking more of blockbuster films and broken noses whenever the sport came to mind. And while he enjoys the exercise, I think part of the fun is the thrill of doing something new and unexpected.

My husband’s foray into boxing coincided with another family member taking a short course in sailing, which he had never done before. He joined a group for a weekend in Dun Laoghaire, and despite the fact that it rained that weekend, had a fantastic time.

I recently read a great interview in the Irish Times, about a Dublin-born dancer, Claudine Van Den Bergh Cooke, the lead dancer at the Moulin Rouge in Paris. After performing there for 11 years, she is leaving to become a lawyer. She’s already done a law degree online, which she began by doing just one module, and then another and another, as she realised how much she enjoyed it.

It all got me thinking about how brilliant it is to try new things, and to keep doing so at every stage of your life. Sometimes it ends up being just a one-off, but you never know what might turn into a new favourite hobby or even career!