Skip to main content

31 Days: Do Not Be Afraid To Ask



This summer, one of my favorite people on the planet got married in Maine. It would have been the first trip I took on my own. I've traveled alone on trips for business since my divorce but it would have been my first solo trip for pleasure. And once I got there, I would have been spending most of my time with three couples. My Tribe doesn't differentiate between couples and singles but it seemed a little lonely to go to a wedding without a plus one. I knew of another single person that was going to the wedding so I took a chance and asked her if I could travel with her. She had been to Maine several times and knew some of my friend's friends so I thought she'd be the perfect person to tag along with since my friend would be preoccupied with wedding prep and her visiting family. She graciously let me make my way to Maine with her, she even did a lot of the research on our flights and finding a bed and breakfast.

Could I have made the trip on my own, of course I could have. But I think my trip was enhanced by traveling with someone and getting to know that someone a little better. I did spend some time on my own, I  ventured out on and found my way to the park where the lighthouse above is located. I had lunch by myself on the patio of a restaurant where I had my first professionally prepared ramen noodles. I did enough on my own to give me the confidence and the desire to try a solo trip in the future.

I am so glad that I took the chance and ask if I could travel with my acquaintance. It felt like I was taking a step towards living life on my own terms and stepping out of my comfort zone to bring new people into my life. Some might say I took the easy way out but I think that would have been giving into my fears and staying home. This way I got to be a part of my friend's important day while learning that there is nothing wrong with taking a chance and asking for a little company.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Five Minute Friday: Time

Five Minute Friday is a writing event that has writers spending five minutes writing on the same topic and then sharing them at http://katemotaung.com/five-minute-friday/ . This week's word is Time. Sometimes time feels like this, like we are in it. Standing inside it, watching life pass by. It is so easy to get stuck in a time - in our pain, in our hurt. We hear the ache tick away in our head like a giant clock. Time, instead, is a gift. More time with family, more time to accomplish goals, more time to see the world. When you are hurting, it seems like time takes forever. One day turns into another day, turns into another day. When we hate a job, the five days of time that make up a work week seem to go on forever. But those five days are also a gift. Because these days, a job is not a guarantee. I want to see time as gift, not as a chore. I want to be on the other side of it, wishing there was more of it. Making the most of every hour, minute, and second instead of

Five Minute Friday: Roots

Lisa-Jo Baker (lisajobaker.com) hosts a weekly event on her blog called "Five Minute Friday". The rules are 1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking. 2. Link back here and invite others to join in. 3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community.. So here's my first try at this. Today's topic was Roots. Roots – I think about my grandparents who lived on a farm until my grandfather’s diabetes worsened and they moved to a town with a hospital nearby. My father still says he wished he could have kept that farm. I think of my grandmother who was a widow for 20 years. Every year she would stand over my PaPa’s grave, wishing she was with him. I think of my parents, a product of those grandparents, how hard my father worked to put 2 girls through

Five Minute Friday: Mercy

Mercy, this is a tough one for me. I think that's why I waited until Saturday to do Five Minute Friday. I didn't want to face the topic of mercy. I am thankful everyday for God's tender mercies. The first definition of mercy that came up when I googled the word was compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.  This definitiion is my life in a nutshell. How many times has God extended this to me when I deserved to be turned into a pillar of salt like Lot's wife. How many times have I ignored his laws and his proddings and done exactly what I wanted to do. Every time he forgives me and prospers me. Every. time. I know there are people I should show mercy to. People who have broken my heart into more pieces than I can count. I think that I am showing mercy by keeping my disappointment in silence. In a day and age with social media, I could have told everyone that follows them how they have hurt me but I ha