I was talking with my mom who recently retired a few weeks ago, and we challenged each other to do something that scares us within the next month. When we had this conversation, I had actually already identified what my something was.
My partner and I were going to be living for two months in Maine, a place that we adore, however we don't (yet) have a community here. I had found a weekly open craft night at a local art center, and I decided that I was going to attend and see if I could meet some people, while also working on honing my wax jewelry carving skills.
The first week that I attended, I walked up to the door (nervously), turned the handle, and realized it was locked. I looked around because this building had a couple of entrances, but the next door was labeled with a "Private Residence" sign, and the last door didn't have any signage but also looked like a private residence. The first door had the sign for the art center, so I thought for sure that must be it, and maybe craft night just wasn’t happening that night.
Lo and behold, I emailed the event organizer and found out after the fact that I actually was supposed to go to the third door. I was so nervous the few hours before the craft night, second guessing if I should go. It felt kind of funny that I had worked up the nerve, and then headed to the wrong door (in my defense, it had the art center’s name on it!)
I decided it was worth another shot and I worked up the nerve to head back out for the next one. This time I arrived right at the beginning and found the right door (yay, lol). I spent the whole three hours there and had such a blast. I’m so incredibly glad that I forced myself to go again and also just to do something that pushed me outside of my comfort zone. I can’t remember the last time that I’ve met new people that haven’t been friends-of-friends. It felt good!
I got to carve one wax ring and start a second, all while chatting with the kind folks who came to the night and getting to know them. I left invigorated, having learnt more about my local community, and excited to return again the next week.
If you’re reading this, I challenge you to do something that scares you (in a good way) in the next few weeks. You never know how it will turn out!