Thinking and STEPPING OUT OF THE BOX

I daily have to say to myself...

Don't just "think outside of the box." Be willing to "step out of the box."

Those of you who know me... and I mean really know me... know that I am not comfortable in most social settings. Large groups of people in one place - especially in crowded areas - make me want to hide. There were many times in the small foyer area of our former church building that I would freeze up & sneak away. The move to our new facility, with a large Commons area, really helped. But, I still have some "crazy" moments
there too. Yesterday, on Easter Sunday, I had one of those "please let me stay in my comfort zone" moments:

I went to church Easter Sunday morning knowing that the building would be full and that a lot of the people would be new to our church community. Easter Sunday is one of those Sundays when you see a lot of "NEW PEOPLE". Some of those people are happy to be there with loved ones celebrating together. Others would rather be any place else. On the ride to church, I had a chat in my head about stepping outside of the box (that I want to live in) and be an outgoing, welcoming person. So that day, as I often do, I stepped out of my comfort zone. I took a leap of faith to say HAPPY EASTER to a couple who was obviously not familiar with our church community. The husband looked at me (after saying just those 2 words to him) like I had walked up & kissed him on the cheek. It was like: "Who is this woman? And, why is she invading my personal space." All of this happened while his wife quickly moved around the coffee table decorated with flowers & balloons and filled with complimentary coffee & donut holes snapping pictures and exclaiming “This is really a cool church!"

I was incredibly self-conscious and felt like jumping under the curtain draped around the coffee table. I didn't though. I just chalked it up to one other funny story to remember about my insecurities. And, I vowed not to let that first "jump out of the box" deter me from connecting with other people I saw that morning.

NOTE TO SELF:

Don't just "think outside of the box." Be willing to "step out of the box."

A blog post shared this morning by one of my #survivorsisterhood writer friends resonated with me and inspired me to record my story today :) Thanks for your post, To the Shy, Barbara Friend Harper!!