Something Old, Something New

There's nothing not scary about trying new things. Even the most fearless among us (or so I'm told, since I tend more towards the 'fear-filled' side of the spectrum) have a twinge of nervous energy at the prospect of doing something new. I imagine that's part of what keeps humans alive as a species.

There are parts of Cincinnati that look a little
like this. Kinda. Source: Tero Tikkanen
on freeimages.com.

My most recent new thing is this strange time of year called winter. Now, I spent 20 years of my life in places that have real winter (Greenfield, Indiana and Glasgow, Scotland), but not any kind of a recent 20 years, since I moved south as fast as I could to get out of the freezing, slushy mess. But now that I'm back here voluntarily, taking on the cold has been one of the challenges.

I've read every blog post I can find on what to wear while walking, running, or riding a bike in cold weather. I even got my hands on some cold-weather gear, which has made my last few weeks considerably more pleasant. But no amount of reading or buying can make that last step any easier-- I have to open the door and get outside.

It's a small and silly thing, I know, but the truth is that I'm no longer the girl growing up in Indiana. I'm not even the "take on the world" 20-year-old who moved to Glasgow without blinking. No, I am who I am now, and who I am now is slightly terrified of slick streets and temperatures in the single digits. (And not without some reason--after a day of rain earlier this week, I stepped onto a grate in the sidewalk and slid a few feet. And it was just wet, no ice!)

I keep muttering to myself, "It's this day, not me, that's bound to go away," before stepping outside. I remember that hot drinks are always available after I get where I'm going, and that the outdoors in winter is probably not as bad as I imagine it is. But I still have to push myself out the door and into this strange new world that somehow millions of people all think is normal. (Millions in this part of the world, that is, not Cincinnati specifically. Cincy barely has 300K people in it.)

But every time I manage to it, to go outside when I don't have to, to walk to the bus when taking an Uber would be warmer, the muscles get that bit stronger for next time. Not just next time I have to step outside, but also the next time I have to push outside my comfort zone, because doing new things is what I ordered when I decided it was time for a fresh start.

How are you pushing yourself? What new things are you doing?