A day in the life
September 14, 2009 | Filed under: Stuff
Never say to a friend who’s in better shape than you are that you want to try a challenging hike. She might take you here.
And tell you that you’re going to climb to the top. I was all, “um, what?” And then knowing me all too well, she distracted me with cool things to take pics of.
And this downed tree, whose trunk was TALLER than me. Not that that’s too hard, given I’m maybe 5’3″. With my shoes on.
Okay, fine! I”m 5’2″. Jeez.
About an hour in, I started to whine. And we still had this far to go …
And sheer rocks to climb …
Now if you don’t think I wasn’t bitchin’ and bitchin’ … But I had a bag of cookies hidden in my backpack. I was torn between eating them and leaving crumbs for Alpha Man to come find my body. Except I was afraid that the bears might follow the crumbs.
So I ate the cookies.
Getting closer …
Hi, Jill’s Shadow! Hi, Laura’s Shadow!
Have your legs ever felt like jello? I mean REALLY like they couldn’t possibly hold you up? I’ve used that term before but trust me when I say, my legs have never really wobbled until I finished this climb.
More cookies helped. And while it was nice to push myself out of my comfort zone — hell, I was so far out of my comfort zone, I couldn’t even SEE my comfort zone — I’m over it. For me, there’s no place like home.
There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home … (Picture me clicking my hiking boots together three times. 
)
So. When’s the last time you pushed yourself outside your comfort zone?
Posted by Jill @ 1:00 am | Make a Comment
RKCharron says:
What a beautiful place.
Posted on September 14th, 2009 at 1:30 amI loved the pictures.
Thank you very much for sharing.
Yesterday I went out of my comfort zone.
(The tight feeling in my gut is my friend, the tight feeling in my gut is my friend, …)
All the best,
@RKCharron
xoxo
Lins says:
Pushed out of my comfort zone?
3 years ago when I had to deliberately capsize my canoe (I was in it!!) in order to pass the National Survivor Swimming test – in the middle of a mangrove swamp, NO lifejacket on, with only my mentor who determined if I passed or drowned or something.
Posted on September 14th, 2009 at 1:44 amStacy ~ says:
Lovely pictures. So jealous of your playground.
Sometimes I feel like I do that a bit everyday. I’m not much of a people person, but I work with the public, so I almost always feel a little uncomfortable about it. And doing presentations is a regular thing for me – never gets any easier. When it’s over I breathe a sigh of relief.
Hope you have a great week
Posted on September 14th, 2009 at 3:06 amLaura says:
I don’t know if this is what you mean by out of my comfort zone – I’m thinking more of jello legs. A few weeks ago I did my first (and so far only) spin class. About three quarters of the way through, I decided to step off the bike because I didn’t think I could continue. I was straddling the bike and all I could think was that my legs were such mush, I was going to have to get help to get both legs on one side of the bike. I didn’t think I could lift them over by myself.
At least my friend got a good laugh out of it.
Posted on September 14th, 2009 at 4:15 amJudy F says:
Great Pictures.
Comfort zone… Anytime I go met an author. I am not one for crowds either.
Posted on September 14th, 2009 at 4:16 amAng says:
Absolutely LOVED those pictures. Amazing!
Out of my comfort zone and jello legs happened all in one for me too..hospital staying for 2 nights after getting a hip replacement two weeks ago. I was never so happy to get home to my own bed and environment…hence I only stayed 2 nights instead of the usual 3-4 for most. I have fallen in love with my bed and pillows all over again. Back in my comfort zone with only occasional jello legs.
Posted on September 14th, 2009 at 5:21 amLiza says:
Wonderful pictures Jill! Anytime I have to speak before a group of people I step outside my comfort zone. I really hate public speaking, even in front of people I know.
Posted on September 14th, 2009 at 5:28 amtennismom says:
Lovely pictures. So gutsy of you. I wouldn’t have had the courage or stamina to do that. I play a lot of tennis but it always doubles. A few years ago I thought I’d see if I my body & mind could handle singles. All the people entered in the tournament for ladies singles were half my age or younger. I lost in the consolation final (to someone I had beaten earlier) but I held my own & didn’t humiliate myself.
Posted on September 14th, 2009 at 5:52 amI was so happy that I had tried, since I wanted to pull out so many times in the days before the tourny started.Ironically I hit so many balls just a little out as I’m so wired to hit the ball down the alley.
Ashley says:
Public speaking definately puts me out of my comfort zone, and when I start going back to school that’s one of the first classes I’m going to have to take(since I put it off the first go round for this exact reason)…ugh, I’m dreading it.
Posted on September 14th, 2009 at 6:08 amMy most recent out of comfort zone experience would be working out with hubby: push ups and pull ups and ab ripper, oh my!
Sabrina says:
Public speaking is awful but the worst for me is flying. The last time I flew somewhere I ended up renting a car and driving home. Drove 24 hours straight just to avoid a 2 1/2 hour plane ride.
Ashley – Try to take your public speaking class in a summer session or a mini session if you can. It is typically more laid back and FULL of people afraid of public speaking. That’s how I survived it.
Posted on September 14th, 2009 at 7:45 amtrish c says:
I try to always stay in my comfort zone. I really like comfort!!! lol
Posted on September 14th, 2009 at 7:54 amAshley says:
Thanks for the tip Sabrina, I will definately make sure I take it during the summer. I just don’t understand why it’s a requirement for so many programs that will basically be one on one in that field of work?
Posted on September 14th, 2009 at 8:06 amBrandy says:
The last time I was out of my comfort zone was this past Thursday evening. I had called and was picking up a DVD for my hubs birthday and they changed the price on me. Instead of saying nothing and slinking off, my normal reaction, I was firm with the cashier (not that it did me any good), but when I finally made it outside I burst into tears. *sigh* I hate confrontation, even when I’m in the right.
Posted on September 14th, 2009 at 11:41 amDonna M says:
Jill, awesome pictures. I don’t know where you were but I want to go there! Love your playground. I would take it over a city any day.
Earlier this spring my daughter & I took a walk that ended up being about a 7.5 mile hike! My body was jello when we got back as I didn’t know we would go that far. I loved doing it and we stopped a lot so she could take pictures but I wasn’t prepared for the distance!
I am pretty fearless about a lot of things but have my moments that I wonder “how did I manage to get myself in this situation!!” I believe it is good for us to step out of that comfort zone and challenge ourselves. It helps to keep life interesting and we grow from the experience.
Posted on September 14th, 2009 at 11:50 amKristina says:
Beautiful pictures and stories! I don’t think i’ve ever felt like that except the first time I met my husband! That was pretty close…. 
Posted on September 14th, 2009 at 12:39 pmAllie says:
I don’t really leave my comfort zone on purpose. On accident, however, I have done this a few times in the past. I’m what you’d call an Extreme Planner so everything is mapped out well in advance and researched carefully. Any hike I go on is mostly flat as a result.
Posted on September 14th, 2009 at 1:38 pmDeb says:
Holy Crap, did you really climb all that!?!? Jeez. Once I was visiting some friends who talked me into going on “just a little half-day hike, nothing too hard”. Yeah, right. Turned out I got completely conned into hiking up an actual MOUNTAIN. And going down was worse than going up, if that’s even possible.
Posted on September 14th, 2009 at 4:22 pmShana says:
I am a reserved kind of girl.. My husband says I have been sheltered.. So I try to stay in my comfort zone. Something I have always wanted to do is a long bike ride. We have what my town calls a DAM JAM which is a bike ride starting with 13 miles or you can go 100 miles.. That would be out of my comfort zone.. But would LOVE to do it..
Posted on September 14th, 2009 at 5:32 pmev says:
Nice view. I like it from here.
Posted on September 15th, 2009 at 7:31 amThe last time was in March when I drove daughters car from NY to CA by myself. I had the time of my life.
I like to push myself as I get older I am finding.
Peri Craig says:
The difficulty for me is never the climb UP (all those spiffy photos to take … and yours are spectacular!) … but the way dowwwwwwwn. When all you want to do is have it catch fire so you’ve got an excuse to stop, drop and roll the entire way.
Posted on September 16th, 2009 at 1:17 pmLori says:
Man, those pictures make me miss Tahoe. My parents are going next month – I’m jealous.
Posted on September 16th, 2009 at 2:01 pmKarin says:
Well, Jill, one of my co-workers is only 4’11″.
Anyway, a hike/climb like that would definitely turn my legs to rubber. I’ve had that sensation a couple of times and it’s not one I enjoy. lol
Posted on September 16th, 2009 at 3:14 pmJL says:
Out of my comfort zone?
Erm…that’s easy. May 30, 2008. Somewhere around 8p, Eastern.
That’s about when we returned home from retrieving my three young nieces (oldest not yet three, the twins barely 18 months) to have them stay with us for “awhile.” (Initially, three months…which was pretty well shot down about six weeks into our noble experiment.) The girls were crying. I was crying. My sister called to see how we were doing and commented that we went from “zero to hero.” I’d never felt less like a hero in my life.
I should point out that, at that time, my husband and I had been married almost 12 years and had no kids of our own, unless you count the four-footed and tailed kind. Who slept on their own, whenever they wanted; were toilet trained; ate what I put in front of them; and whose only scoldings were the occasional hollering to get off the table or not eat the plants.
Yeah. Instant mommy pro tem. Just add kids.
The girls are still with us, nearly 18 months later. And sometimes it seems like every day is another exercise outside my comfort zone!
Posted on October 12th, 2009 at 7:31 pm