Has Anyone Seen My Comfort Zone?

😳😳😳 Over the last two weekends I have had experiences that I will never forget. They both taught me something about myself. Last weekend I attended Women's Weekend: Innate Wisdom Within, a yoga retreat for women. There was chanting, meditation, acro yoga, Thai massage, dream exploration, stretching yoga (that took far too much coordination), a dab of fitness yoga, and ended with a dance party, which was my favorite. Probably because I was then free to go home...

Let me preface the rest of my story with two pieces of information. 1. I'm not a big fan of people touching me. 2. I have palmar hyperhidrosis, which is a scientific way of saying my hands sweat. A LOT. All the time.  Consequently, I don't really like to touch other people.

Knowing these two facts, you can probably guess why this experience was way out of my comfort zone. Because I was going with my friend, I thought it would be less awkward. I was wrong. 

Turns out, staring at your friend's left eye for the duration of a song is ridiculous and laughter-inducing, which totally kills the mood for the people "making a connection." Standing back-to-back and then bending over to look at each other through your legs? ***I'll wait a second so you can get a visual in your head*** WEIRD. I also learned I don't particularly like doing yoga at 7 am or chanting words in Sanskrit that I forgot what they mean. The stretching yoga was frustrating because the instructors came around and corrected your form, which I like to think was perfect and didn't need correcting 😉. Thai massage was ..... a learning experience. I learned how to give a massage and also that I'm not very good at it (Sorry, Holly!). I learned where my personal boundaries are for touching another woman's thigh and letting her touch mine. I'm thankful I was with my friend; I can't imagine massaging a stranger, as some of the other women who came alone did. I probably wouldn't have participated. I felt like I had an identity crisis while I was there because I'm usually a pretty confident person but there, I was so far out of my comfort zone that I was totally insecure. I didn't socialize much with the other women, who probably had the wrong idea about why. In the end, I'm glad I went but I don't think I'll be attending the second annual Women's Weekend. 

I enjoyed spending time with Holly and seeing the beautiful scenery of our state! 

**Disclaimer** If you are one of those people who does enjoy the activities listed above, there is no judgement from me! I'm totally cool with you doing it, I just don't want to. Ever again. Namaste. 

New River Gorge, Oak Hill, WV

Scenic Overlook off the interstate

Being a tree

And now for adventure #2. Phil(ip) and I went skydiving yesterday. I learned that my comfort zone is limited to the ground. I'm not an adrenaline junkie, in case anyone thought differently.

 The guy who suited me up did me no favors by putting me in yellow and giving me a helmet that didn't match! I know, I couldn't believe it either 😔.

I had a great instructor and camerawoman who were very compassionate to my nervousness. I guess I had "anxious" written all over my face because everyone kept giving me tips, like, "it's only scary until you leave the door," and "just make sure you smile" (which was a good tip because the pictures look way better when I'm smiling and not so great when I'm about to cry!). 

I was soooooo freaked out at this point. I was first in the line up and I'm pretty sure that's because Nick (my instructor) thought I was going to wimp out if I had time to watch everyone else go. He literally pushed me (us) out the door. 

I was strapped so tightly to him that I'm actually sore from it today.

 She told me more than once to make sure I looked at her and smiled...oops. I also forgot that I could let go of my harness, which would've made this a much cooler pic.

Once he pulled the chute, you can hear each other again and he said, "How was it?" and my reply? "Cold." Probably not the answer he's used to hearing. 

Thoughts upon landing: OH THANK GOD!

We hit a few bumps on the way down and it made me super motion sick. I think I was in shock for about an hour post-landing. 

It was a great experience and I'm glad I did it. When we were driving home I told Phil(ip), "I'm so glad I never have to do that again," lol. Now that I've had time to recover and no longer feel like I'm going to throw up, I'd consider doing it again. I probably won't but it's not off the table 😉