Outside Your Comfort Zone
On the delight in the discomfort.
Ever since I have known my husband I have vehemently expressed my dislike for all things camping. He on the other hand longs to camp, fish, backpack, and take part in really any activity you can shop for at REI. So I made him a deal, you plan it and I will go. Being the type B to my type A that he is, the trip never got planned. So for his last birthday, I bit the sleeping in the woods bullet and planned the backpacking, camping, sleep outside vacation, excuse me…. trip, as his gift. And what was meant to be his gift was also mine.
You campy people out there are like, ‘well, duh’.
Touché.
So my gift. My gift is textbook ‘the magic lies outside of your comfort zone'. From the sweeping forest views, the smell of the the pine, the sound of the roaring river lulling me to sleep, the smelly sulfur yet mystical hot springs, to watching my husband be in his total element, to the stars brighter than ever, to the crackling and giggling that a campfire inevitably brings, to that unmatched and euphoric feeling of ‘I did it’! It was like Christmas morning.
I hiked 22, what felt like uphill, miles, slept in a tent, fell neck deep in the freezing cold river, pooped in the woods (yes, I buried it), ate crappy yet delicious food (when else is it really okay to eat mac and cheese from the box!?!), carried 30 pounds of said crappy food all 22 miles and had a total freaking magical ball.
So for the past 14 years I have been in my, it’s gotta be 5, well at least 4 stars, comfort zone. And I have been majorly missing out on some magic.
I had a belief that I didn’t like camping, that it was cold and scary and too much work. And yes, it is some of those things (since I am such a seasoned camper now). But aren’t most things worth doing a little scary and some work? Aren’t the most awe-inspiring things in life a little uncomfy at first?
It got me wondering, where else am I missing out on the magic because of some bogus belief? So, the Sparkler’s 2nd edition is dedicated to just that. Getting out of our comfort zones to experience the the metaphorical roaring river and sparkling sky, to the magic that life is just begging us to experience. My guess is that the more uncomfortable we are willing to get the shinier we are. So, read on and shine bright, tribemates!