Ah, one’s Comfort Zone. The ease and familiarity of having things the way we like them, no surprises, no anxiety, no pushing the envelope. Our thinking environment becomes just as predictable. We set preconceived limits and arbitrary mental boundaries for believed security. Consequently, we get bored and become boring.
The never-to-be pigeonholed and always original Herbie Hancock, one of the planet’s best-known jazz pianists, offers this advice to the fainted-hearted:
Don’t be afraid to expand yourself, to step out of your comfort zone. That’s where the joy and the adventure lie.
Extreme sports is not what we’re suggesting. We’re talking about natural curiosity and active engagement rather than passive detachment.
One
Begin with a simple step: get up at dawn and watch the sunrise (these coastal daisies ~ rt ~ were photographed just as the sun lifted over the horizon). The world looks, feels, and smells different early in the morning. You’ll be awakening forgotten and new senses.
Two
Fast for a meal or a day. Give up breakfast, skip lunch, do without dinner. Thousands of souls all over the globe go to bed hungry. Not only will you develop a sense of compassion, when you break your fast you will be more cognizant of the food and more grateful.
Three
Turn off all media for an evening, a full day, or a weekend. No cell phone, land line, computer, email, Facebook, Twitter, video games. During winter storms here in the Santa Cruz Mountains, we expect the power to go out when a redwood goes down or lines are severed, and though we grumble when it does, it’s nice to hear silence rather than the buzz of electricity. Instead of electronic media, read a book. Transform your customary scrawl (The Slow Death of Handwriting) to civilized penmanship and take time to compose and write a personal letter or note (Reviving the Art of Putting Pen to Paper). Play board or card games with your kids. Sing. Tell stories. Organize a gathering of friends. Talk to each other.
Four
This idea is for both talkers and non-talkers. For the gregarious, practice listening. Respond politely and succinctly, but give the other person center stage for a change. For the shy, begin a conversation each day with someone you don’t know. Yes, a stranger! A fellow bookstore browser. The mail clerk. The market checker. Nothing breaks the ice like a compliment, as long as it is sincere.
Five
Spend an hour or so contemplating the magnificence of life by watching the stars at night. Fall evenings, with blustery wind and rustling leaves. Winter, bundled in a warm jacket and sipping hot chocolate. Spring, with the fragrance of flowers. Summer, with the sound of crickets chirping. Friends of ours move their bed in the garden and sleep outside during the summer months. Extend the joys of camping to home life on occasion.
Experiment! Then, as Herbie says, you’ll discover where the joy and the adventure lie.
