Pushing My Comfort Zone: Punny Image Included!

There's something so liberating about starting over in a new place.

When I moved to Madison at the end of May, it was a little scary to not know anyone. But it was the best feeling, too. My parents drove the 7 hours from Detroit and helped me move into my studio apartment. We explored the city a little bit (though we never strayed toward the capitol . . . my dad seems to resist downtown).

Then they left, and that was it. This was my new apartment, my new city, my new life.

I loved it. So, so much.

I remember going to Target for some groceries--I wouldn't hear about Woodman's existence for at least another couple months. I came home, opened the screen door to my little patio, sipped from a cold can of Sierra Mist, and just let it all sink in. It was a sunny eighty-degree day. I was in a brand new place, where no one even knew my name.

It was beyond beautiful.

I mean, it's not like I was running away from something. I loved Ann Arbor, and I loved college. Walking away from my Ann Arbor apartment for the last time, I had to blink back tears. There were also a few nights in Madison when I cried just from loneliness. Y'know, it happens.

But I can also see when change is for the better. With this new chapter came so many possibilities. No one here knew I was intelligent and studious, or completely silly, or that I smiled and laughed too much. No one here knew the things I loved.

It was so exciting, the first time I went to the Journey. I didn't know a single person, but they all seemed awesome. For the next several weeks, I challenged myself to always accept invitations, to always reach out and be a part of any social situation that came up.

At the same time, I cherished the freedom to be truly independent and answer only to God and myself.

Everything has changed again. The freedom of total independence and anonymity has been replaced by the freedom of something better--and that was part of how I knew that Phil was different from anyone else I'd ever met. In general, I'm an outgoing introvert: I need to be alone in order to truly refresh. But with Phil, from the very beginning, I would always rather be with him.

Now I'm challenging myself again. I've really settled in and gotten comfortable in Madison. In a few months, I'll be married. I think I'm letting this stifle my social, independent personality. While I've met some truly awesome girl friends in Madison, I wish I could spend more time with them and find a closeness similar to what I felt with my best friends in college.

So again, I'm challenging myself to always accept invitations--and to take initiative and plan hang-outs with friends, too. Maybe I'm tired from work, or I'd rather just stay at home and write. (This actually happens a LOT.) But nothing will change if I don't push my comfort zone.