Comfort

What's your definition of comfort? 

For most people, it's the image at left. A soft fuzzy blanket, a soft fuzzy kitten...warm & fuzzies, that's for sure. 

For some people, it's in a bottle, and the "morning after" is anything BUT comfortable. 


For me? Well, on most days, comfort looks something like this: 

 Seriously...doesn't she look COMFORTABLE? Um....OK, maybe I have a little problem. And by little, I mean big. I often seek comfort from food instead of where I should find it (more on that later). If you're like me, some days you can be totally oblivious to chocolate drops calling your name. But one bad day at work...one misunderstanding with a friend...one fight with someone you love, and BAM! You seek the comfort zone. And it's smooth and velvety on oh yes, there is scientific evidence that it releases endorphins that just make you "feel good" - at least for a little while. Until you're in what I call the Reality Zone, and you're face to face with this: 

 I've had a love-hate relationship with my scale. I love when it doesn't show what i haven't done. And I hate when it does. 

Over the past few months, I have written about my new adventure in running. I am the girl who said she could not run. Now, my first 5K is 11 short days away. And I am running for my life. I am running to show that I CAN commit to and finish something. Because this blog has been a run-on sentence for me, and I just want to add a period somewhere. No, make that an exclamation point! And I will, because slowly, but surely, I am finding my way. And I try and I fail, but I keep trying, and that's what is important. 

Today's run was tough. With the realization that we just have 4 more runs together before we leave for Florida, my BFF and I kicked it up a notch. It was a big notch to kick. Guess what? 

I was out of my comfort zone. Way out.

Oh I know, been there, done that, plenty of times. But this time was a little different. Because after the run (during which I was sure some part of my body would fail and I would be carried home on a sleigh which had to be nearby because yesterday was Christmas and all) I realized that I was indeed QUITE comfortable with what I just accomplished. And maybe my "comfort zone" needed to be reassessed, because I have spent an awful lot of time being uncomfortable there. 

When we dare to push ourselves beyond our self-imposed limits, we realize that we are more than what we (or perhaps someone else) gives us credit for. Tonight, I had other sources of comfort. Ones that won't make me feel bad in the morning. Ones that inspired, instead of tired, me. Warm & fuzzy? You bet.

Here's hoping YOUR comfort zone is indeed a true source of comfort!