Neither of us are really the adventurous type. Let’s just say we like to be comfortable. You know, comfy hotel rooms (no camping), warm fireplaces (no outdoor winter sports), and staying close to loved ones (no big cross-country moves). But while comfortable is easy, sometimes you need to step out of your comfort zone to grow as a person and discover new hobbies and meet new people.
We learned this firsthand when we were asked if we wanted to attend a blogger trip to a Vermont mountain to try snowboarding. Honestly, our first instincts were to say “heck no!” Standing around in cold weather, surrounded by strangers, with potential for injury? That is so not us. But we were tempted by the promises of good food, luxurious accommodations, and a hot tub. So we closed our eyes and winced, said yes, and hoped for the best.
To many of you, spending the weekend in the mountains being treated to delicious meals and free ski passes isn’t exactly a risk. But to two girls who didn’t grow up skiing and have always been a bit nervous about winter sports, it was a big risk. We weighed our options: what’s the worst that can happen? Sure, we could break a bone, but we could also do that walking down the street. Ultimately, we decided to stop analyzing and simply focus on doing.
And when the end of the weekend hit, guess what? We didn’t want to come home. We started referring to the mountain life and how we were getting used to it. We went for our last run on the mountain (OK fine, bunny hill) and immediately wanted to go up again. And when we were driving back to Boston from Vermont, we found ourselves discussing when we could return again.
Our theory is that when opportunities come along, you take them. No over-analyzing or making excuses and no trying to determine exactly what benefits the opportunity will bring you. Often you really have no idea what the benefits will be until you just do it. No, we didn’t move across the country, but we did participate in something we always just assumed we wouldn’t like. Against all odds, we came away loving it. Sometimes it’s the smallest risks that can have the biggest impact on your life. And that’s likely something we’ll still be talking about 15 years from now when we’re taking our families on joint ski trips.
Sues and Chels are the powerhouse duo behind We are not Martha, a fabulous Boston-based blog featuring scrumptious recipes, simple organizing tips, and must-have product recommendations. Chels is a graphic designer and designs mostly wedding invitations and stationery. Sues is a freelance writer and writes for a variety of websites. They’ve been friends since the second grade.
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January 24th, 2011 at 12:51 pm
Congratulations on facing your fears and doing it anyway! Jan
January 24th, 2011 at 1:07 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by CRAVE Chicago, Arpen Thandi, CRAVE San Francisco, Jennifer Saphier, Jennifer Saphier and others. Jennifer Saphier said: In today's blog, a daunting ski trip teaches two women that taking a tiny chance can reap a mountain of rewards! http://bit.ly/fP7V1M #fb [...]