Risky Business

So how was your Halloween?

Mine was much less scary than expected, thank goodness.

I am really proud of myself though, because I really pushed the limits of my comfort zone.  You may recall that a few months ago I drove to New York State on my own, and this was a huge accomplishment for me, having only become a driver in my 30s, and having never done a highway trip solo before. 

Well, yesterday, I went to visit my parents in Kingston (my dad just got out of the hospital after having a hip replacement surgery), and, yup, drove there all by myself!  This trip, although familiar, is almost twice the distance of the New York trip.  In addition, it was horrible weather yesterday.  So much so, that my mom called in the morning to tell me she was worried about me making the drive.  But I had made the decision to do it.  My parents needed me, and I was tired of letting this fear limit me.  I'd done most of the drive before (Adam and I usually share the driving), but never without Adam in the car to give me moral support.  Nevertheless, I did it, and it wasn't nearly as tough as I expected.  Admittedly, it was rather frightening in the torrential rain on the way there, but I persevered.  The hardest thing, to my surprise, was staying awake.  I don't know if it was the rain, the monotony, or what, but both there and back I had trouble keeping my eyes open.  On the way back, I had to stop at a service station and do some jumping jacks and stretches to wake myself up.  This actually helped keep me alert for the rest of the trip.  And, ironically, when I got home last evening (just around the time they were getting back from trick-or-treating with Adam (my mother-in-law graciously hung out at our place and gave out candy for us last night), I didn't feel tired or fatigued at all.  Weird!

I am constantly talking to clients about taking risks...not in the jumping out of airplanes kind of way necessarily, but in the pushing beyond your comfort zone kind of way.  As I said to one client recently, "How often do we regret taking a risk, even if we are not successful?  Far more often we regret not having taken an opportunity."  This is definitely true for me in this case.  I got to see my parents, I got to see their new condo, and I overcame a fear that was holding me back.  Now, I have opened up all sorts of doors for myself because I now know I can drive lengthy distances on my own.  I feel stronger and more independent.  Yay for me!

So, the scariest thing about yesterday ended up being how much candy these two monkeys ate!

Have a great weekend.