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Meanderings from Jean's Desk....
Blog Archive
Feb 1, 2012: Transforming Our Thinking
Jan 2, 2012: Looking At Life From The Third Person This Year
Dec 15, 2011: There Is No Standing Still
Dec 1, 2011: Scarcity or Abundance?
Nov 15, 2011: Am I a Human Doing or a Human Being?
Oct 17, 2011: Seek Fresh Eyes To Ask Better Questions
Oct 1, 2011: Solving For A Greater Purpose
Sept 15, 2011: If Not Now Then When
August 22, 2011: Consider That Heaven Has A Better View
August 1, 2011: Though I May Not Be Gracious I Want Attention Too!
June 1, 2011: Albert Einstein And Problem Solving
Video
2009 Kenosha Business of the Year:
LMI Packaging Solutions, Inc.
Out Of My Comfort Zone Vacation
I apologize for a delayed blog this month. I took a great vacation with my sister and thought I would share our adventure.
We set out to do 84 things out of our comfort zones in seven days. We did this in memory of our mom, who lived her entire 84 years outside of her comfort zone, and in retrospect, really lived her life.
Firstly, I admit that doing 84 things in 7 days was a bit overachieving. We documented 30, though some things should count for many more than one, such as the fact that after more than 30 years of smoking my sister gave it up cold turkey on Day Two and never smoked the whole trip. It is one thing to do this when you are at home and busy but when you are on a laid back road trip where some drinking at the end of the day is involved it is truly an accomplishment.
As for me, with over 50 years of choosing breads and cakes and other processed carbs as my favorite food group, I chose this trip to finally follow my doc’s advice and give up gluten. I thought I was going to die. You need to know that since I got my license there is nothing that I have enjoyed more than eating fast foods when I drive. My favorite restaurants are Italian because I love to dip the bread in olive oil and my favorite food is pizza. It is unfreaking amazing how many foods have gluten in them. But like Terry I went cold turkey, literally.
And finally, just taking a road trip and not knowing where we were going until we flipped a coin was totally unlike anything we had ever done before. Both of us have had hotels lined up and activities planned for every waking moment on vacations past. Beginning at about 5:00 PM to identify a place to rest our heads for the evening was quite out of our comfort zones each day.
And so what wisdom did I gain. Oh my goodness. It was wonderful.
I made choices instead of decisions. There is a difference. By definition deciding is ‘killing off all other alternatives.’ That’s what the ‘cide’ means; ie.suicide, genocide, etc. etc. etc. A choice on the other hand is just something you choose with joy and fun and don’t look back until you feel like making another choice. So we just fully committed to each thing we chose by uttering a simple ‘why not ‘and then fully invested ourselves in our choices. It was great. I became aware how even on vacations, as in normal life; after I make a decision I continue to stress out about whether I had considered all possibilities and made the right decision. I now have something to practice at home; choosing.
I got a better grasp of the difference between being morally wrong and just being a little naughty. Having had a strict upbringing I sometimes blur being morally wrong, with not doing what everyone wants me to. Example: as we crossed the border at Niagara Falls there were long lines everywhere except in the one lane that said “RV Vehicles”. My sister told me to go to that lane. I exclaimed with remorse, “I can’t go to that lane! I’m not in an RV vehicle!” She reminded me about our choice to be naughty and so I took the challenge. We both noticed how I strategized a hundred excuses to give to the attendant when I got to the gate. I was totally prepared for anything he might throw my way when I arrived. He on the other hand read my license, noticed I was from Kenosha and reminisced with us about his days at the Great Lakes Naval Academy. I wanted to scream “Did you even notice I was not in an RV vehicle?” So what took everyone else 45 minutes took us 5 minutes. Interesting!
One of the best vacations I ever had. I experienced very little stress during a time that had many reasons to be exactly the opposite. What I learned? I can literally create vacation and change my life in a moment by challenging the little voices in my head that are always saying how it is supposed to be.
Questions, comments for Jean?
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