I did something unusual this past week.
I went out.
With people.
To a place where other people were.
Now, two years ago this wouldn’t have been any kind of a big deal. You might also argue that, since I’ve also been working in the office for at least half of that time, that I’ve already been doing this.
But you’d be wrong.
My days had been pretty much one big pattern:
Go to work, come home – maybe stopping by the store if needed – Rinse, repeat.
The weekends were much the same bunch of not going anywhere.
So when the opportunity/invitation arose, the knee-jerk reaction was a solid Nope – which I kept silently to myself. After a few moments of thought about why this reaction was so vehement and immediate, I came to realize that I wasn’t comfortable with the idea.
I hadn’t always been that way. Much like an underused muscle, my comfort zone had shrunk, contracted with disuse.
Now I realize that for some of you, what I’d done is an unacceptable risk. And that’s ok – well, it’s not ok that this is now the world we live in – but your own response to it is perfectly fine.
What I’m advocating for is taking a few moments this coming week to look at your routine and, within your tolerances, trying something new – including stretching those tolerances if you feel comfortable with the attempt.
It’s been said that variety is the spice of life and, for me, most of the spices had been set back in the cabinet and were slowly gathering dust.
And I’d never even realized it.
What had become comfortable to me had shrunk to a much smaller space.
It’s time to start stretching those emotional muscles again. Limber myself up.
Thanks for reading. Be safe out there. Be Excellent to Each other – and yourself.
I’ll see you on Thursday.
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