Comfort Zone

Yesterday was the last day of 2009. Happy 2010! The first day of a new year, new expectations, new adventures. However, on the very last day of 2009, I also took the challenge of going out of my comfort zone and making an adventure with my boys. We wanted to visit the Winter Wonderland in Holland, but without a vehicle and 50 kilometers between us and the fair, I had to arrive at an alternate plan. Which I did!

I don't mind using public transport. It gets you where you need to go, even if the timing is sometimes an issue. However, whenever I go someplace new, I get so nervous. I worry I'll be stranded and never be able to find my way home. I worry I won't be able to understand the time charts, the correct stop, or even get on a wrong bus or train and be headed to neverland.

Yesterday, with detailed printouts of times and maps, I took the boys on a bus to Holland. The trip was 1 1/2 hours and took us into the center of the city we wanted to be. The price was more reasonable than if we had driven. And, though we had to stand for a portion of our return trip, the majority of the trip was smooth sailing.

I stepped out of my comfort zone. And in doing so and arriving back home I felt so proud of myself. I now have another route in which I can provide myself a little getaway. We visited the Winter Wonderland, played games, rode on rides, drank hot chocolate and ate bratwurst from the fire. We had a fun day, and the boys were wonderfully behaved. When we had to find our busstop home, I got the same feelings of dread in the pit of my stomach, but allowing ourselves time to find it was our savior. We walked a few wrong turns, and then passed by our stop, but after consulting my map again, I realized our error and headed back where we caught our bus.

Kaeden was a big help. I was amazed at how well he could read the time charts and knew which busses took us where. Without my telling him, he looked at the chart and told me what time our bus would arrive and on which bus we needed to go. He needed reassurance he was correct, but I told him I was very proud of him for knowing this. It gave me extra reassurance that when I send him off on the bus, he'll be ble to reach his destination even if he comes across scheduling conflicts or other problems.

So, a good way to end the year...on a new adventure filled with fun. I think 2010 will be a year of trying out new challenges to bring a bit more excitement to my limited region. The bus will get me there!