Expanding My Comfort Zone

When I started this blog seven years ago, I wrote in the "About Me" section: "I'm never happier than when I'm at home with my dogs and a really good book." That's still true. Last month--the nastiest, rainiest January in recent memory--I went beyond the boundaries of my yard a grand total of three times.

The forecasters were predicting foul weather for the beginning of the new year, so I stocked up on groceries the day before New Year's Eve. As a result I was able to postpone my first shopping trip of 2013 until a clear day sometime around the 9th or 10th of January. Again I stocked up and again my supplies lasted about a week and a half. Realizing the month was nearly two-thirds gone, I made a second grocery-shopping trip and bought enough to tide us over until the beginning of February.

By that time staying home had become some sort of a weird contest in my mind. A notice came in the mail that Levi's shots were due mid-January, but I decided they could wait a couple weeks. I downloaded low-priced Kindle books instead of going to the library. Those thirty-one photos for the One-a-Day Photo Challenge? I photographed something for every single topic either inside my house or from the vantage of my yard.

My third trip away from home in January could have been avoided, but I have trust issues almost as old as I am, so I won't leave bill payments in the mailbox with the flag up. To me that just shouts, "Hurry! Hurry! Come steal my checks!" I pay all my bills online except one, so I drove to the post office during the last week of the month and dropped that check in the mail. Apparently I place greater value on financial responsibility than on whimsical challenges, which is a good thing, I think.

When February arrived and I went out on February 1st to buy groceries again, I felt unbelievably free, no longer locked into some crazy, self-imposed confinement. I like being able to come and go as I please. I've always liked it. It's just that I like being home more. Sometimes I think I like home too much, and I know I need to push myself to get out more often.

So, that's what I'm going to do. For starters I've registered for two classes beginning next week. They aren't too far from home and they won't require any night-driving, two points in their favor. Plus, I never met a school I didn't like. I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy these two short courses and, if so, maybe there'll be others after that.

It's a start. We'll see.