Ladybugs,
Time for Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone, 08.2018. The monthly post where I can brag about doing even the tiniest things that are a stretch outside my ‘normal’. Things that give me butterflies in my stomach.
This is my sixth post in the series. In the first one, I explained a little bit about the psychology and benefit of stepping outside one’s comfort zone. If you missed that post, please click here to read it. I like to think of this as opening up my life to new experiences and possibilities. As we age, it is easy to become set in our ways, even rigid. Stepping outside my comfort zone is a way of retaining some of the flexibility and adaptability that comes easier in our youth.
I am continuing to listen to the “Do It Scared” podcast hosted by Ruth Soukup. You may know Ruth from her blog Living Well, Spending Less. The “Do It Scared” podcast is about taking the steps that will help us move past our fear and create a life we love. Click here to check them out for yourself. The activities I talk about each month for Stepping Outside My Comfort are not life-changing but they are building my confidence toward trying bigger and braver things.
Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone, 08.2018
I have been trying to make a more conscious effort to notice the beauty in the world around me lately. Yesterday, before leaving for work, I took just a minute to survey our yard, the pool and our mountain view from the balcony off our bedroom. Have been waiting all summer for our bougainvillea to bloom and it is finally beginning to. And have tried to literally take time to really see and smell my roses. Even wrote about that in my Morning Pages, as part of my morning quiet time routine. This weekend I want to show my roses a little love with some bone meal, gentle pruning, and attention.
My activity for Stepping Outside my Comfort Zone, 08.2018 was to visit El Paso’s Memorial Rose Garden after work and just spend some time with nature. I have been to the rose garden twice before but always with someone else. In fact, six years ago Lauren and I visited when she considered having her wedding there.
Decided to find a little mom and pop cafe where I could practice my Spanish and order some lunch to take to the rose garden. Stopped at Tamales el Tejano, because I had a hankering for a tamal. I usually only enjoy them for Navidad so this felt like Christmas in August.
The girl behind the counter seemed to speak no English so I ordered a green chile tamal with chicken and a soda in Spanish. She asked me in Spanish if my order was to go and I told her it was. She packed up my little lunch in a bag and I asked her in Spanish if she had included some napkins. She said yes. I think she was surprised that this blue-eyed gringita could speak Spanish. And I was happy to have someone to speak Spanish to.
Found a shady bench in the rose garden where I savored every bite of my tamal while checking things off my to-do list for the day.
After my lunch, I began walking around the gardens. Many of the rose bushes didn’t look much hardier than my poor plant. Our summer has just been so hot. But this peach colored bloom didn’t seem terribly bothered by our 102* day.
I walked a little more and discovered an alcove created by a twisty thicket of vines and this statue of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of the environment and animals. When I tried to take a picture, though, my phone camera started acting weird, and my photos looked hazy.
Can you see what I mean?
Then guess what happened? My phone gave me an error message saying that I couldn’t use the camera until it cooled off because it was too hot. Tried sitting in the shade but the the phone was still too hot. I decided that maybe I was supposed to pay attention to the flowers and not worry about taking pictures. And that’s what I did. Walked around the gardens and admired the roses, one called ‘Homerun’ for my Prince, another called ‘Peace’, my word for the year. And amidst all of the other slightly bedraggled bushes was one that was full of soft yellow blooms. Apparently, it isn’t at all affected by our hot summer temps.
My phone was still too hot so I went back to the car, turned on the AC and held my phone up to the vents. After a few minutes, I was able to take a photo. I give you my car vents.
Jumped out of the car, and ran back through the gardens, snapping photos of roses I had admired when my camera had overheated.
It was a very pleasant, if slightly toasty, diversion. I had the entire garden to myself…maybe the only El Pasoan brave enough to be out in the heat of the day when they don’t have to be!
Your Turn
Since I am no longer working with my sweet bilingual students, I don’t have much opportunity to use my broken Spanish. Afraid it’s becoming more broken by the day! It felt good to use that part of my brain again. And I think it was no accident that my phone overheated. For a few moments, I enjoyed the garden without the distraction of technology.
Have you done something to S T R E T C H yourself lately? How did you step outside your comfort zone this month? Please link-up your comfort zone post with us. Or share how you pushed yourself in a comment below.
By coincidence, (although, I don’t really think anything is a coincidence!) my friend Nikki at Gwin Gal Inside and Out, shared a post about caring for roses that I read while eating my lunch. Going to use her great tips to give my rose a little TLC this weekend.
Enjoy a restful Labor Day weekend and then get ready to kick off fall 2018!
Hugs and kisses,
Dara
That’s great that you got to practice your Spanish! Lovely roses too.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Gracias amiga mia! I really like speaking in Spanish and surprising people that I can! Maybe not well but I seem to always get my message across. Miss working with all of my bilingual babies. They were the best.
Whitney @ Whitney a la mode
What a lovely way to spend some quality time with yourself! And yes, I think it was a little blessing that your phone didn’t work so that you could truly embrace some outside time. I’m loving this series, Leslie!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
I have missed my PC a lot but have also enjoyed doing a few things that I might skip if he was here. This weekend I am going to do a pallet painting class and a Katrina mask painting class by myself. Paul is really good to go with me to a lot of things but I love Dia de los Muertos and he isn’t a fan. So, I am getting these things out of my system so we can baseball baseball baseball again when he gets back.
Would LOVE to have you join me for Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone. It is the last day of each month. All of your wonderful runs, your training, buying season football tickets, starting a new job, moving in with your sweetie would qualify and would inspire others!! Please think about it!!
Nikki Gwin
I love the whole idea of your outing. I sometimes wish I new a foreign language. And exploring the gardens on your own is a real out of my comfort zone thing. Although I have done it once. I should really do it again. I would have been upset about my phone acting up so I applaud you for your rethinking it and using it to your advantage. Thanks for including my post about roses and I am so glad it was timely. You are such a doll, I do hope we can meet one day. Hugs!
🙂 gwingal
Leslie Roberts Clingan
I so enjoyed your post about roses and have used all of your suggestions to make my roses healthier. Hated that the roses in the memorial rose garden weren’t healthier but our summer has been very hot. Hopefully, I will have more blooms on my bush with the TLC I have given them.
Please consider joining me for the next Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone post. The posts are always on the last day of the month. Easy to remember. And anything qualifies. Your post could inspire others!!
Laura
I am SO stinking proud of you! So many simple and easy ways to get out of your comfort zone! Beautiful pictures of the flowers, too! Hope you enjoy the long weekend!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Dear friend, thank you!! While my PC has been out of town, I have been doing several little things to push myself. Hope this month’s post will be even more inspirational. Please consider joining me for this series; always the last day of the month, and anything counts!! You can inspire others with something you do to push yourself!!
Kellyann Rohr
Gosh Leslie, how did I never see your blog before? Ugh! I am now following you on Bloglovin so that won’t happen again!
I must listen to Ruth’s podcast. I love anything that inspires me to improve and take steps to overcome my self doubt. You are 100 percent correct in saying we need to keep trying new things to stay flexible and adaptable as we age. I honestly do not want to get so set in my ways that I get cranky and can’t adapt!
Kudos to you for ordering your lunch in Spanish! I took several years in high school and then college. I know a few words and can sometimes decipher what is being said but I have always been nervous to try to converse with someone!
Thanks for all the inspiration my friend!!!
xo,
Kellyann
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Sweet friend, so thankful that you found something to take away from my silly post. I am shy-ish and socially awkward so checking the mail when someone else is at our community mailbox can be a biggie for me!! If I didn’t stretch myself, I am afraid I would be in bed under the covers lots of days. Hope you will get out Ruth’s podcasts. Have been listening to them when I craft. We are allowed to listen to whatever we want at work with earphones/buds but I am so distractable that I haven’t done it yet. Maybe I will give it go…step outside my comfort zone doing that.
Please think about joining me for this month’s Stepping Outside My Comfort zone. We post on the last day of the month. Would welcome your voice, your encouragement in a post about something you have done to stretch yourself. Our little successes and glories might be the very thing someone else needs to ‘hear’. XO
Debs
Buenos Dias! How brilliant that you went and struck up a conversation in Spanish, and did it so well they totally understood what you were saying. That’s so good. I can’t imagine it being so hot your phone overheated but pleased that you were able to cool down and go back to get some photos. Would you think me weird if I said I had never heard of a tamale? I had to google it! We did have a Mexican restaurant in town for a while but both times I went there I had burritos – I should have been more adventurous!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
I double dog dare you to go to a Mexican restaurant again and share your experience with us for September’s Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone. Please?? Or make it any restaurant (or any place) you have wanted to visit but haven’t.
Here in El Paso, tamales are a holiday staple. The entire family gathers together and works all day to make them. There are so many varieties and so many places in town to buy them. Our community college is even giving a one-day class on tamale preparation which I may sign up for. My favorites are green chile chicken. But the sweet ones are delicious with raisins and spices. Mmmm.
Daenel T.
Such a nice day out. I love that you spent some time by yourself enjoying nature and a nice lunch. I need to get in the habit of doing that. I even force The Hubs to go to the gas station with me. LOL
Leslie Roberts Clingan
LOL, big grin over you forcing your hubs to go to the gas station with you! Ha! I was pretty dependent on my ex-husband and he was equally dependent on me, so we did everything together. When we divorced, I was crushed and lost. But I got my act together and learned how to do things by myself and for myself. Getting on the roof to fix the AC, replace shingles, look for leaks…which I couldn’t fix. That was probably the best thing I could have shown my daughters…that I/we could handle big troubles and little inconveniences all by ourselves without a guy!
I think you should try doing something outside your comfort zone this month and come share with us on the last day of September! It can be as simple as going to the gas station by yourself. You will inspire someone else to stretch!
Molly
I enjoy walking through our local Arboretum. I take my camera, which helps me to slow down and notice the intricate details of nature. I have yet to go this summer, however. Thank you for the reminder! Perhaps I will wait a bit longer (for cooler temperatures) and I can witness the transition to autumn colors.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Yes, yes, yes…go to the Arboretum…take pictures…and then share for September’s Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone. Or share one of your art date experiences. But come join me. Would love to have you participate in this series with me.
Natalie
Hi Leslie – I just joined you in this link-up today after returning from my fab trip to France. Great job speaking Spanish and visiting the rose garden with quick ‘first aid’ for your camera. Will join you again in a few days with SaD and Wellness Wed. Thank you for sending us the codes.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thought of you when I was speaking my broken Spanish! Thought of your lessons and studies in Spanish and French. I should probably take a class to refine my Spanish but have managed to get my point across with a little pantomime thrown in for clarification.
Your trip to France was fabulous. So glad you were able to enjoy family time and the celebration of love at your cousin’s wedding.
Terri Webster Schrandt
I spend too much time with myself (and maybe my dogs), but to go out into nature (I need to practice what I teach), and just enjoy that rose garden (with or w/o the camera) is so good for the soul! Kudos to you that you can take that time for yourself, Leslie. I’m prepping my SAD post and came to check out your site! I realized I wasn’t subscribed, eek!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
So glad to have you come by and super excited you are doing SaD. I have been kind of under the weather for a few days so have fallen behind on blogging and reading posts. Still plan to do a photo post this week. Just need to feel better!
Please consider joining us for this month’s Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone. You can share something HUGE that you did or even a small way you stretched. Would love to have you!