Year about Change

Another friend of mine writes a blog, which has a focus of “a year about me.” She is working on all the things that are good for her but had fallen by the wayside– diet, yoga, personal trainer, reading, photography, etc.

Her writings made me look at my year, so far.

I realized that during the past 2.5 months, this year seems to be about making me move outside of my box/comfort zone. It is the most expansive beginning of a year that I have had in a long time. After years of removing ourselves from people and events, we are expanding out of our box.

It began when we accepted a casual dinner invitation with old friends on the spur of the moment. Something I would never have done before as it takes planning to make everything work with my energy issues. It was great to have intelligent adult conversation and I recovered quickly afterwards.

It continued by inviting my mother-in-law to stay with us for the first time in over 10 years. We had a ball. She will be back In May.

Suddenly, I have been reconnecting with a number of former students, friends we have not seen in decades and former school colleagues.

Being asked to join the orchestra and playing for the first time in eight years was another move outside the box. It made me deal with a group of people who don’t know I am sick – something that has been very difficult for me to do. I wear my oxygen to haul the bass in and out of the rehearsal space and during its unpacking. It is embarrassing. I have to pretend that it is somehow normal.

We even joined a book club and Michael doesn’t read books! It begins on Friday evening.

Earlier in the month, I just wanted to do something out of our routine. Michael came home and I proposed a quick trip about two hours away to an Indian Casino. Just for fun. With a glorious full moon to guide us, we left our home around 7:00 at night, had a great road trip to the casino, it was packed so we played two machines for a few minutes, had something to eat then headed home. We got home about 1:00AM, passed out and awoke feeling like we had done something naughty. We giggled. We would have never have done that last year or the years before.

I guess I would say that this seems to be the year to do things outside of my comfort zone. Outside of my box. The boxes are collapsing around me. If this continues, what a year it will be!