Scary Things

“To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest.” - Pema Chodron

Scary Things, well, maybe scary is a bit of an exaggeration.

This time abroad is partly about making myself do a few things that I know will be good for me but are challenging. And for the most part, I think they will seem a bit silly, but they have been challenges for me! Sometimes tiny challenges are too easily avoided.

I hesitated to rent a bike in Amsterdam. There are bikes everywhere in that city. They tell me there are more bikes than people in Amsterdam! It's the main form of transportation, and there are many aggressive cyclists.

I went on a walking tour when I first arrived in Amsterdam and was told that a trip to the city is incomplete without a near-death experience from a bike. Lol, it's true. I've never been so careful crossing streets! I felt like I had to rent a bike for at least one day but I was very nervous. It was stressful initially, but I was soon signaling and claiming my space like all the rest. Most of all, though, I was proud of myself for not avoiding the challenge, and I saw more of the city.

Next up, I was traveling to Wales with my mom and daughter. We wanted to cover a lot of ground, stay in a cute bed and breakfast, etc. This meant renting a car. Wow, was I anxious! The steering wheel is on the right, and you drive on the left. All seemed very difficult for my brain. I had my daughter navigating, which helped a TON. I didn't realize I'd need her constantly telling me I was hugging the left side of the road. I admit I hit a few curbs, and I'm sure I scared her before I learned to navigate the lanes correctly. She was magnificently patient and calm. She is just beginning her career as an elementary school counselor, and I got to see the side of her that will help her excel in her career. Calm, cool, and collected in the extreme!

We ventured further into the countryside and experienced many roads that didn't fit both lanes. You just have to follow the tight road and hope you don't run into someone coming from the opposite direction, or at the very least, that they are the ones who back up! It was quite an experience. I'm happy to say we survived it and had a lot of fun!

Once again, I'm thrilled that I didn't chicken out, and while it was stressful, I would do it again.

There is a certain exhilaration in doing the things that scare you. A friend from the Camino met me in Amsterdam, and we discussed this very thing. I said it's thrilling to do the things that scare you. She said it's silly to put yourself intentionally in uncomfortable circumstances. I think we were looking at the same idea from two sides. You can benefit from being uncomfortable and experiencing new things, but looking for those challenges is probably unnecessary. They are all around us. These simple challenges are enough for me. I don't need to be an adrenaline junkie to find growth and exhilaration. (However, I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that if that's your thing). But it's different to do something for the adrenaline rush rather than personal growth. You can be an adrenaline junkie and ignore the challenges that scare you the most, like applying for a job or returning to school. We all need to choose our challenges with mindful consideration.

Since my mom and daughter left, I've enjoyed Liverpool and so much Beatles memorabilia! I hoped to get to Wrexham and the famed futbol club and stop at the Turf pub for a pint. However, train strikes made the trip to Wrexham too unpredictable. So instead, I went to Glasgow and enjoyed the city and much excitement over the World Cycling Championships. Because of these events, I had to move on, though, as hotels were in short supply. I'm now in Aberdeen and feel like I've found my happy place with long walks and nature easily accessible. Summer in the UK is hectic, and accommodations are hard to find on short notice. But I'm short on days to be in Schengen visa countries, so I'll have to stay in the UK until the end of August when I plan to meet friends in Greece!

I think I'll stay in Aberdeen; it's a good home base for day trips to all the hot spots and beautiful hikes. I'm looking forward to unpacking for a bit.

XO, Bon