Out of My Comfort Zone

Linking in with Stacey from GetOnWithItAlready for Team Friday (one day late I know but better late than never I figure !!!) on how to get out of your comfort zone without even trying !!!

Yesterday was Gold Coast Show day which meant a day off work - great to ease back into work with a four day week thank you very much !!  Anyway, I had great plans of sleeping in, getting up and getting our NZ blog done, then a leisurely shower and get dressed session before having to go and get A from work (he finished up at the company that was closing down so didn't have a ride home) at about 4pm before heading up to Brisbane to have dinner with friends who are moving to NZ.

How does that saying go ........... the best laid plans of mice and (wo)men ..............

Well I did sort of get my sleep in - I had threatned A with death if he woke me but I actually woke before him - you know one of those days where because you don't have to get up you wake up earlier anyway - yes that one !  So I got up and started on the blog after checking mail and tweeting and reading a few blogs !!!!!  By the time Al left I was just padding out the commentary on our holiday.  His parting comment as he walked out the door

"So I'll see you for lunch about 12.30."

"What ?  No.  I have my day planned."

" Oh well we are only going in to hand back tools, computers, phones, utes etc and then we are going to lunch and we can go after that."

So I am thinking - well this isn't going to work because it means I have to leave home by 11.45 plus I have to get ready .......no - definitely not going to work.

"Luv, why don't you go to lunch with the people from work - they don't want me there as well - you are the one who works with them."

"Oh it doesn't matter what they want - I'd like you to join us."

"I don't think so - what about you go to lunch and I'll collect you at about 2pm and we can go to IKEA" (cos I'm thinking that the thought of IKEA might entice him to let me stay at home playing on my computer for longer !!!)

"I don't know if we will have time - we have to get through the traffic to get to G&S for dinner"

"We are only meeting them at 7pm."

"Yes I know but it's Friday afternoon - traffic is shocking."

"OK - I'll see you are about 2pm and we can see whether to go to IKEA or not."

11am I get a call - "I'm finished at work - coming home to shower and then go to lunch - do you want to join us ?"  (He is nothing if not persistent !!!)

"No thanks - see you here."

He gets home and I am still in my pj's - I mean it is a public holiday after all !!!  He dashed in - showers - and dashes out again.

K wanders through and says she is helping a friend decorate his cafe (Really - OK) so off she goes - peace and quiet at home with the dogs sitting on the blanket.

Next thing she is back - "What happened to the decorating ?"

"Oh - he is only starting to paint and I don't paint so I left."  (Well that was nice of you darling !!!)

So she curled up on the couch next to me and promptly fell asleep.

(I'm getting to the point of my comfort zone dilemma soon, I promise !!!)

I shower and get dressed in my uniform of jeans and top and boots and then think to myself - can I pull off a dress and tights ?  Hhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmm not sure I can.  So I get changed into a dress that I bought in NZ after going into and out of the shop about three times as A didn't really like the colour but as he said afterwards "obviously you can see something there that I can't" !!!!  Anyway, I put it on with a black long sleeve T underneath and black tights and ballet flats.  The tights are always a joy to put on and for some reason on the few occasions when I do wear them I always try to put them on standing up and land up falling over and then think - maybe if I sit down it will be easier to put them on (alternatively if I work my core muscles really well I might be able to balance and put them on !!!!)  Now I am not sure so I go into the lounge and try to wake K to ask her opinion.  Eventually she opens one eye and says "That looks OK" and goes back to sleep again.

Now I am stuck - do I wear it or not because I am certain that her "That looks OK" doesn't actually mean anything as she is probably still asleep.  So, hopping from one foot to the other with indecision I go back to the bedroom.  Then I look at the clock - it is already 1.30pm - I haven't done my hair or my make-up (because I came through earlier to see how K was and CSI was on so I sat and watched the end of it figuring I had plenty of time !!!) - so I figure I am going to have to go with the dress and tights because I just don't have time to change again.  So I run the hair dryer and straightener over my hair, throw some make-up on and am out the door by 1.50pm - given that it is about a 35-40 min drive to A's work and I said I would pick him up at 2pm (and he said 1.30!!!) - I am now going to be late.  I call him.

"Hi Luv - how's your lunch going ?"

"Good thanks - we are finished. Where are you ?"

"Uhhm - just left home."

"Oh OK - see you just now."

"Do you want to go back to the office with everyone and I'll pick you up there ?" (Cos it turns out that I have no idea where they are having lunch and the only road in the GPS with that name is in Red Hill which is I don't know where - turns out the GPS was taking me to a place nowhere near where he was !!)

"No, I'll wait here they are still having a few beers."

Ten minutes later I get a call from him.

"Can you get me from the office - they are all leaving now ?"

So I head to the office and get him there.  And as I stepped out the car, I saw his face and I knew that I had made the right decision to stick with the dress (never mind that I never had time to change again) - as far as it took me out my comfort zone (more so now because of the weight I have put on over the past month) it was worth the look that I saw in his eyes.  The appreciation that I had done something that he knew I was not comfortable with when I could have chosen the easy option of jeans.

When he got in the car he said that he was more than happy to wait for me especially when I turn up looking so good !!!!
(Now I am sorry I didn't get a photo - next time I wear the outfit I will take one to show you !!)

Do you find you don't do things because they are outside your comfort zone ?  Can I challenge you to do just one thing this week that is outside your comfort zone ?  My challenge this week for myself is to get through The Stampede next Saturday - what's yours ?

Have the best weekend !

TFTD : All things are difficult until they are easy.

Introduction to Roller Derby

Last night I met some lovely ladies - C from musingnmayhem and A from Accidental Wonderland and Chaos (I'm sorry I don't have her blog address) at roller derby on the Gold Coast.  It was quite strange how it all came together - suffice to say that, while I don't do 'new' people well, I put my big girl panties on and went outside my comfort zone - and I am so glad I did !!!!  I had such a great evening !

A was busy working up on the Sunshine Coast and I wasn't sure when, or even if, he would be home last night.  I got down to the Carrarra Stadium and was sitting in the car listening to the Suns game against the Tigers when I got an sms from C saying that they were there and at the media entrance.  While my heart was racing, I knew that I had come this far I needed to actually get out the car, put my best foot forward and go and meet them.  I knew that they were lovely people but that didn't make it any easier - I really battle meeting new people, especially if I am by myself with no support from A.

We went into the stadium and it was so much fun even though I didn't know the first thing about what was happening.  The atmosphere was great.  Then I saw that Ames had posted a photo on twitter of the stadium and tweeted back asking her if she was behind the commentators (although when I had another look I saw that she was taking the photo from in front of the commentators - sorry Ames !) - we found each other and waved and a short while later she and her family came over and sat with me which was very nice as she explained the basics to me.  C & C came over and chatted for a while and then before the next bout we all went and sat on the floor up close and personal to the action !

 

I really enjoyed the evening and am so glad that I went - thank you for allowing me to spend the evening with you and for patiently explaining the rules and tactics to me.  It was a fantastic evening.

So, linking in with Dorothy from Singular Insanity with Things I Know - I know that there are many lovely people that I have met through blogging / twitter / FB and I know that, when I need to do things that I think I am not capable of doing, I am wrong - I can do them !!!
We are off for an afternoon of barefoot bowls - enjoy the rest of your weekend and have the best week ever !

TFTD : Your life isn't behind you, your memories are behind you.  Your life is ALWAYS ahead of you.  Today is a new day - sieze it !

Bugger, Poo, Bum

Clearly the universe wasn't too keen on my happiness over the weekend because today I was brought right down to earth - yip, could have been worse, but also could have been a whole lot better.

Called the osteo this morning - he can only see me Thursday.  Called the dr - he can see me tomorrow so I book the appointment.  Then at about 11.15am I get a call from the osteo, he has had a cancellation for 12, can I get there - yes thanks I can.  Off I got - he is amazed at the change in my body shape - I can't see it.  He tells me about three times he can't believe the change in my body shape.  I start to feel good because I really haven't been able to see it myself but start to believe him.

The long and the short of my knee issue - I have tendinosis - chronic tendinitis.  Thanks so much for that Mrs Knee !!!!!!  Apparently I have put too much strain on it too quickly i.e. I have upped my training quicker than this old body can cope with it and so it is breaking down - once again, excellent work and thank you Mrs Knee !!!!  Treatment ? Take it easy and if I am doing something that makes it sore, stop and if it isn't sore - honestly - I can carry on.  I also need to do some eccentric loading of my quads.  He has recommended that I still see the dr tomorrow and maybe have a scan just to make sure that everything else is OK as it also looks like there is cartilage degeneration (thanks to my age for this one !!!).  So, I am going to have to start looking after myself just a tad more than I do at the moment otherwise I am going to be very sorry !!!!!!

Then, on the way back to work from the osteo, I got one of those heart stopping phone calls from K "Hi Mom, I've just had an accident.  I'm OK but the car isn't that good."  K, my dearly beloved, thinks she is totally invincible, know it all, 19 year old.  So, I tell her to call A to sort out where to be towed to etc.  Anyway, long story short, he goes to see what has happened and they get the car to the preferred repairer for the insurance company we are with.  Then she had to go to Caboolture with him because someone broke an antenna and he had to take one up there to replace it - they are still not home - not sure when they will be.  I was fine until I stopped to see my folks on my way home from work and then I lost the plot a little when my Mom came out and opened my door and she was crying !!!  Anyway, stayed there about an hour (no point in dashing home) and then came home after that.  Unfortunately I stopped to fill up and landed up buying 2 x Curly Wurly's and 1 x Chomp - because they were on special - and then got home and ate them and some grainwaves.  So figure in terms of calories my dinner is done - not so good from a nutritional value but figure sometimes things happen and I need to just accept what has happened and move on.  On the up side, I nearly bought a whole thing of Darrel Lee rocky road which was in the servo !!!! So maybe the CW and C weren't so bad after all !!!!!

Needless to say, no training tonight - I am sitting here icing my knee currently (this is to keep A happy more than anything else - I haven't noticed that it makes any difference and the osteo said that it may or may not help - I don't think it is helping but it makes A happy so I will continue to do it for a few nights) and balancing K's laptop on my other leg.  I was just thinking the other day about what I wished for - and one of the things I wanted was to start getting out of my comfort zones ?  It has just struck me that maybe this is me getting my wish - I wondered how I would deal with it if I was injured and couldn't train - what would I do ?  Well, that is sort of true - I haven't been told I can't train but I have been told that I have to slow my training down because my body is not changing as fast as I am expecting it to and this is the result.  How do I slow down when all I want to do is speed it up ?  I guess I am going to find out over the next couple of weeks. 

Any advice from anyone who has been really into their training and then had to pull back because of injury ?

Love, hugs and positive energy !

TFTD : Love does not require analysis, just appreciation.

Another Loss and Feeling So Much Better !

Yesterday afternoon I started to feel so much better - and I am so grateful for this because I hated feeling so down - especially when there was no rhyme or reason for it (all I can think is that it is medication related so am going to see what I can find out about changing it).  But I am feeling on top of the world today - and not just because of losing another 0.5kgs this week (although that did help !)

Last night I went for a 4.85km run and did it in 6'43"/km - sooooooooooooooo happy about that.  Then A got home and we went and delivered invites for street party that we are looking at holding on 9th December.  Not sure how well it is going to go down as we have never done anything like this before but figured it is time for me to start stepping leaping out of my comfort zones and meeting new people is a big HUGE thing for me - A and I are both really shy and don't do 'new people' well so this will be an interesting exercise.  The neighbours that we are friendly with already are free on the same night so if nobody else is interested, we will have the party at either their place or ours and we KNOW it will be a good one - even if it is just the four of us as we always have a great time when we get together. (A bottle of Amarula will definitely feature high on the list of items required for said party !!)

After delivering the invites, we took the dogs for a walk and did a 4.5km walk - so by 8pm last night I was ready for bed.  Not that I got to bed then !!!  It was all good from about 11pm until the rain started at about 3am and then it was just toss and turn - between the rain and the spurts of snoring, I didn't get a huge amount of rest !

Sonia, we don't have a spare room (well we do but it is my therapy room and as much as clients seem to fall asleep reasonably easily on the therapy table, I can't sleep on it) but we do have a 7 seater corner couch which is REALLY comfy so I normally drag my doona/sheet and pillow down the passage, through the diningroom and kitchen and into the lounge room and sleep there.

Lady Daa Doo, that may be a really good reason to get an iPhone although I do love my Blackberry !!!!!

Well better get on with my day - listening to the rain falling outside and seeing it slide down the windows - it is good to have the rain after so much heat.  Here's hoping that it isn't raining tomorrow as we want to go to the rugby 7's which are being played at Skilled Stadium tomorrow from lunch time.


This is pretty much what I can see when I look out my window.

Have a terrific Thursday - the weekend is nearly here and we are only a month away from Christmas Eve - how scary is that ??????

Love, hugs and positive energy !

TFTD : Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, it's at the end of your arm.  As you get older, remember you have another hand : the first is to help yourself, the second is to help others - Audrey Hepburn