We hold hands, hug
after years of not seeing each other, and camp out during our favorite movies.
There is no greater feeling than being comforted whether in need of it or not,
recognition and a bond with another person is always welcomed. Unfortunately,
many of us take our comfort for granted whether it is because we fail to
identify the blessings we have or because we always desire more. Either way,
comfort is still relevant and present in our lives; it comes from the people
who love us and from the material pieces of our lives that may seem meaningless
to others. After a very colorful and snowy week, I recognized how much love is
comforting (Happy V-Day right? No, Happy Singles Awareness Day), how food
(chocolate) is comforting, and how our friends are comforting.
It seems that the
Blizzard of 1978 re-lived this past weekend in what is now being known as his
brother, the Blizzard of 2013, or as we college kids like to call it, One of
the Best Weekends Ever. On Thursday night after participating in the cheering
in Lower Dining Hall with a friend at the news of the snow day, I returned to
spend some time with friends. We laughed, yelled, and danced (not fairly well
if I do say so myself). Late in the night, one of my great friends asked if I
wanted to go out and have a cigar in celebration with him for the forthcoming
blizzard. Instantly, I pictured myself growing up when my father would ask me
if I wanted to take a “small puff at the cigar” which consequently turned into
a whooping cough attack. Therefore, I was a little hesitant because I am
certainly no expert on smoking cigars considering the small amount of times I
have done it but I figured, Hell, when will you ever get to enjoy a nice stogie
on the eve of one of the greatest storms to hit New England? So I did it, I
smoked a nice, classic cigar with my roommates under a starry night’s sky on
the crisp eve of the Blizzard of 2013. Some of the coughs responsively came
back during a few puffs but I like to believe it was still an improvement.
We have all heard it,
“break your comfort zone.” Sometimes it is easier said than done and then in
some unique cases, it’s done easier than said (hopefully that doesn’t happen
too often). Either way, I see how painless it is to live a life of just
comfort, simplicity, and routine. Yet, after smoking the celebratory cigar with
my roommate, I realized that at one point I used to like smoking a cigar once
in awhile despite whether or not I was good at it. We only discover what makes
us comfortable by breaking our old standards of comfort. Normally, I probably
would have had a nice dinner, studied, maybe had a cup of tea, and tried to get
some sleep on a Thursday night. It was not until I went out at 2 in the
morning, in the freezing cold, and smoked a cigar did I realize how much fun I
could actually have. Hey, it makes for a fun story and a good memory. After the
adventure outside, my friends and I came back to our apartment and simply
talked—talked about life, family, anything really. It was an uncomfortable
night to say the least; I stayed out despite my internal clock telling me
otherwise, opened up about things, and had a nice cigar and conversation all in
the midst of it.
Break your comfort
zone, expand your horizons, and cherish the memories that it makes. We hear the
greatest stories come from those put in the most uncomfortable, dire, and
unappealing of situations. A woman who hit on her future husband’s friend
forcefully gives into this short, Italian man who will not surrender until he
gets a dance. A young boy tries his very first onion on a hamburger because his
mother says the cook does not allow you to take the ingredient off. A college
kid has a snowball fight with his friends even though he hates the cold. So
what happens? A woman falls in love with her husband and the two start a family
together, the young boy realizes he loves onions, and the college kid becomes
amazed by snow. We break our comfort zones so as to form new zones of comfort
and new zones of routine. Comfort changes and consequently so does our life’s
path, our decisions, and our personalities. Staying comfortable may hurt you.
Correction, it will hurt you. If we sit on one choice, one hardship, one
lifestyle then life itself passes us by. Do not let it do so. So, I encourage
you to be comfortable when you can but also be uncomfortable whenever you can
too (as long as it is safe). You never know what the experience might bring
you. However, there will still always be some universal forms of comfort that
never change like hugs, kisses, and sleep. Do not devalue those. Comfort is a
magical thing, it keeps us bonded through its’ warmth but also when it becomes
disconnected. Welcome both sides to the argument and never fear trying new
things that may seem uncomfortable. They become those little moments that
people love to hear about at the dinner table. Like I said, you will still
sleep comfortably at night but if that becomes an issue, try a new mattress.
Hey, even that choice breaks the old mold. Stay comfortable and uncomfortable
my friends. Here is to a better tomorrow.
-M
No comments:
Post a Comment