Comfort Zones, California, and Old Friends

I figure it is a good thing to leave comfort behind sometimes.  This can be in the form of the creature comforts of civilization or in the mental comforts of familiarity.  It's rather easy to play it safe in this day and age.  (But, not always as rewarding, if you ask me.)  It is rather terrifying to leap into the unknown, be it literal or metaphorical.  I've learned a lot about myself this way over the years.  It can be challenging to do, of course, but sometimes the best things come as a surprise, wrapped up in a moment of I-could-never-do-that...oh-wait-it-is-amazing.

So I went to LA for the weekend without Matt.  I took my mom who'd never been to California and who considers me the world traveler (which I'm really not).  We went without a plan--aside from having a hotel room lined up.  We went to meet a friend (our exchange student from Belgium) whom we'd not seen since May 2002--15 years.

And it was an absolutely superb odyssey.

Marj was the same fun person I remembered from back in high school.  We talked and talked and talked--about old friends and new adventures and everything in between.  The beaches in southern California are dazzling.  Hooray for palm trees, abundant flowers, and sandy beaches!  I took my first Ubers.  I ordered the most expensive cocktail of my life--twice!  I managed to locate a vegetarian restaurant within walking distance of our hotel.  I swam in the ocean.  I basked in the sand.

It was a priceless experience.  One I almost talked myself out of because it intimidated me.  ...Maybe it'd been too long since we'd seen Marj....or maybe it would be too expensive for such a short trip...or maybe LA is too dangerous...or maybe it would be too hard without Matt planning everything...or maybe...

I'm so grateful I took the chance and just went for it.