01/24/06 Trying New Things

When I was in college, we had a class that, in conjunction with a school in Florida, allowed us to go to London for a month, live in an old house (that the housekeeper pointed out was older than our country so we'd better treat it with respect!) and go see plays. For my graduation gift, my folks sent me on this trip. I decided to finally get my ears pierced before we left, and while I was sitting in the chair waiting for the painful poke, I was talking to the technician. I told her where I was going and how excited I was, and she shook her head and said that she couldn't imagine wanting to visit anywhere, that she never wanted to leave Farmington. I stopped speaking to her at that point, partly because coming at my earlobes with something that seemed incredibly huge - I have a terror of needles - and because I couldn't think of anything to say to her. I understand loving your home and wanting to stay there, but never to experience something new? I realized then that I had nothing in common with her, and it was a revelation to me, that people really could be that insular and happy with it! So, given the choice and chance, I'm a firm believer in trying new things that appeal to you, meeting new people, eating different foods. You may not like them, it's true, but at least you can say you tried. To never have experienced things is, to me, one of the saddest things of all. This girl would have absolutely hated the dim sum restaurant we went to in Chinatown. The servers don't speak English well, if at all, so we just pointed to things on the carts they brought past and hoped for the best. The food was fabulous! No idea what some of it was, but it was all good!

I'm not an advocate of trying things just to please other people, you understand. If you really aren't interested, then there's no point. But if you're merely apprehensive about trying something new, and you can find the courage to give it a shot, great! I know people who refuse to go to a movie by themselves. I find that to be sad. If you want to go and there's no one to go with you, take yourself. You might not want to go to the midnight showing in a questionable neighborhood, I'll grant you, but a matinee at the local multiplex shouldn't terrify you. And think of the advantages! You can get what you want at the concession stand, you don't have to share the popcorn, and you can sit where YOU want to sit, not where your companion prefers! These are things not to be taken lightly!