I don't expect any of my readers to know the origin of the quoted title, unless I have one of those random creepy blog-stalkers. It is a quote from a video I posted a few months ago that I said really inspired me to make something more interesting out of my life. And it is filled with lots of great one-liners and pieces of advice and counsel for life. Highly recommended!
Anyway, back to the point. I have not taken the aforementioned advice as seriously as I have taken others. I do not make it a point to do something scary everyday, because I haven't really been able to see the point. But it started to fit together on that day in Good Earth Natural Foods... But recently, more events have occurred that have taken me well out of my comfort zone, and as a result I found that my comfort zone has expanded each time something like that happens. No wonder there is such value in leaving your comfort zone!
So I thought I would share a couple experiences I have had that have been kind of scary. One of which was forced out of my comfort zone, the other one I voluntarily left it.
First story: The other week I was babysitting my nephew Tate. A note about babysitting, I love little kids, especially ones that I am related to. But there is one thing that I have successful avoided for my whole life as a babysitter, I have never had to change a "poopy" diaper. I came close once, I was playing with Tate when an odious stench filled the air. My sister (his Mom) was due to arrive home any minute, so I prayed that it would be soon. But the situation soon worsened as I discovered that the frothy excretions were not fully contained by the diaper! I panicked and put Tate on his changing table and went to the opposite corner of the room to sit in the rocking chair. He was stranded by a wall on one said and a four foot drop every other direction, so there I sat. Rocking and watching him to make sure he didn't jump/fall off. In a few more minutes I heard the door open and called out to my sister as if this crisis was just barely under way and happily passed the baton over to her, seeking refuge in the basement. Crisis averted!
But the next time this happened, I was NOT so lucky. It was a similar situation, but the problem was that it happened shortly after my sister and brother-in-law left. I knew I could not just wait like last time. So I took inventory of the situation. I ran into the bathroom and started searching through cupboards for supplies. I found a box of latex gloves and quickly grabbed them and when I could not find any surgical masks I ran to the kitchen to grab a paper towel and stuffed it into the collar of my shirt, and proceeded to drop essential oils (Peppermint and Lemon) on it to neutralize any odors. What happened next was all a big blur, I remember hands and legs flailing around, lots of baby wipes, laughing, and a cloud of baby powder... then it was over. I sat there, my mind reeling with the implications of what had just happened, I could not claim total inexperience as an excuse ever again. (But if any of my siblings are reading this- don't get any ideas, I do not plan on repeating this anytime soon!) The moral of this story is though: as long as you have the right supplies and are prepared, and keep your cool, you can make it through even the most horrible situations!
