Lesson #31

So, last year I hit you with 30 Things I've Learn At 30. Now, I could go back and re-post the entire thing for you, simply adding on another lesson for another year passed, but honestly, that is what links are for. Plus, this blog only gets 15 readers and I assume 14 of you read it last year. Now, I've learned a lot in the past year, like always lock your doors... even in the middle of a day on a holiday. But, that's more a safety tip and not a life lesson. Let's just get on with this year's pearl of wisdom.

31. Every now and again, you should force yourself to do something you don't want to do. I'm annoyed by travelling and all that it entails. I'm annoyed by planning. I'm annoyed by packing. I'm annoyed at the cost of airline tickets. I'm annoyed when I don't sleeping well the night before my flight - not because I'm excited but because I'm paranoid about sleeping through my alarm and missing my expensive flight. I'm annoyed at getting up early and fighting traffic to the airport. I'm annoyed at standing in line for the right to wait in uncomfortable seats for the flight to board. I'm annoyed by delays. I'm annoyed with the people who rush to get onto a plane with assigned seating. I'm annoyed with being crammed into a seat made for someone 5 inches shorter and 25 pounds lighter. I'm annoyed that I have to be stuck in this cramped space, breathing recycled air, for 2 to 16 hours. I'm annoyed when watching a terrible movie is the only option because I can't sleep on planes. I'm annoyed when we land and then we're still stuck on the plane for another thirty minutes. I'm annoyed fighting the crowds at baggage claim. I'm annoyed during the drive to the hotel and the hassle of checking in. I'm annoyed because no matter how nice the hotel is, the room always feels dirty. And I'm annoyed that I'm so tired from this long-ass day of being unhappy, yet I still can't I fall asleep because my internal clock is all screwed up. Knowing all this about myself, it is not surprising that my first impulse when someone asks me if I want to go on vacation is to say no.

However... when I do actually go, the next morning I wake up to find all the previous day's annoyance has faded away. It is amazing how just a few hours of sleep can cleanse the mind. It's like hitting some kind of pissed-off reset button. Suddenly, I'm excited to be someplace different and to see something I've never seen before. Maybe we're going to go to a museum or a zoo or an aquarium (I do love me an aquarium). The point is that we're on an adventure and from the moment my feet touch the floor, I'm really happy I made the choice to go through a day of annoyance for a few days of something new. That's the feeling I get when I say yes to something I normally would have said no to and it works out well. The trick is remembering that feeling and not the being dissuaded by the knowledge that part of it might suck, and that is something I've actively tried to do more of during the past year. [Sidebar: it should be noted that 'more' is a relative term. We are still talking about me, after all.] When I kick myself out of my comfort zone, more often than not I enjoy those experiences immensely. Is every new experience going to be good? Of course not, but even if it stinks, at least you get a story out of it. The point is that sometimes the best thing you can do is the one makes you a little uneasy.

Song for the day: Note to the morning jocks on the radio in Boston - shut up and play music. I went through the dial three times listening for a song to be my birthday anthem and even though I gave you plenty of time most of you were still talking when I came back around. No wonder stations with DJ-free formatting are so popular. Ultimately I ended up just hitting shuffle on my iPod.