I believe I’ve mentioned that I have this need to just stay home. I’m quite sure that without me there, the house will burn down, the puppy will run away, my little girls will be dirty and will only consume candy and Mountain Dew, my husband will go into a diabetic coma, and all hell will break loose. I can’t be certain but I’m pretty sure all of that and more would happen. So when I decided earlier in this endeavor that I needed to try to get out and about more often, it was a big deal. I started going out more, and I have grown to love it, and NEED it. Time out with adults has been so refreshing and it’s reminded me of how fun I can be. Okay fine, my girlfriends and husband are plenty fun too, but this girl here is a riot!!!
I’ve been thinking a lot about comfort zones and how I have been confined to mine for a few years now. You get comfy at home, in certain circles, in the way you do business, in the way you live, and pretty soon you realize that you’ve kind of kept yourself prisoner by those comfort zones. I’m not interested in realizing 30 years from now that I have been doing the exact same things for the past 30 years with no variations.
So I decided last week that I was going to take this opportunity, the year of what if, to do some of the things I’ve always wanted. The things that are financially feasible of course. I will not be rushing out to buy a Porsche SUV or getting liposuction (the fact that I can’t use my HSA for liposuction appalling!) just yet.
As I mentioned yesterday, I darkened my hair, something I’ve wanted to do for years. And yes, the timing may have been off, but it’s growing on me and I’m glad I did it. What have I been waiting for? Like I can’t change it back if I hate it??? It’s because I’ve been comfy with my blonde hair for all of my life so I’ve been a teensy bit nervous to step away from that.
Speaking of comfy…yesterday we were having a fabulous low-key day at home. I had volunteered to help with an event last night, a concert by The Revolution (Prince’s band circa Purple Rain), benefiting an organization for which I used to work. It required me to do things I wasn’t thrilled to do…such as shower and get gussied up in the middle of a lazy Sunday afternoon. Such as leave the little girls which I rarely do since our time with them feels so limited and so precious. Such as leave my warm cozy house to go out downtown. Such as likely stay out later than I should considering I leave for work at 6:15am. Such as “work” an event. Bleck. All day I was trying to figure out how to get out of it, knowing I’d go, but really not wanting to.
For the record…it was being held at a club I used to frequent once a week from the time I was 17 until I was 20. A place I love and that oozes memories of my youth. The Revolution is one of my favorite bands of all time. I was going to be surrounded by people I really really enjoy and respect. And yet…boy did it feel like a lot of work.
I went, I worked, I ran into so many people I knew, I was reminded how much I adore the people with whom I used to work, I had a couple beers, I acted like a schoolgirl when the band played, I Facebooked like a mofo with stupid updates about the songs they were playing and whether or not the rumors about Prince showing up were true (they were not), I danced like a maniac, I flirted with the lighting guy to get info (incorrect info I later found out…clever bastard), I met people from all over the world who had come for this concert (I’d hear an accent and say “where are YOU from???”), and I had the best. Time. Ever.
I remember a time not too long ago in which this wouldn’t have been possible. When I actually did work with these people last I was in a much different place personally and emotionally. My life was a drag and so was I. But the point is…it’s not that way now, I’m not that person anymore, and I am in a really really good place. So why, my dear friends, am I so willing to sit in my comfort zones and miss out on really great things that I could be enjoying?! I would have been so sad to hear about how fun that concert was if I’d elected to just stay home in my sweats.
Interestingly enough, when I got home my husband had cleaned the house, gotten the little girls to bed early (fed and bathed even!), my husband was alive and well, the puppy was sleeping next to my alive and well husband, and all hell did NOT break loose. Apparently they can survive seven hours without me?!
I am declaring that in this year of what if I am going to do things I’ve always wanted to but have been too scared. I am going to step out of my comfort zones and shake things up a little. And I am going to take advantage of this forum to talk about it because I’m quite sure it will provide good fodder for this blog. Probably mostly at my own expense but that’s okay.
TODAY: What if I make an effort to ditch the comfort zones and try new things? What if instead of longing to try something I just do it for crying out loud?
PS to Prince (what…you think he DOESN’T read this blog???) – I know, in retrospect, you are likely wishing you’d just taken the stage last night. It’s tough to step out of our comfort zones. Don’t worry…it happens to the best of us.
MAMACADABRA 