September 27, 2025

I am comforted by flowers, yogurt for breakfast, and the smell of pine. I feel comfortable playing guitar, watching Harry Potter, and sleeping on my right side. Slouching is comfortable, driving with my left foot tucked up at my side is comfortable, sitting in the Rec office with my friends is comfortable. We people like comfortable things. We need them. They're great. But, we live in a world of convenience. Of work-from-home, of Doordash, of Unlimited Wifi, and drive-thrus. Our conveniences bring us comfort and now that they're all around us, its damn easy to be comfortable. This year, living in the middle of nowhere, where nothing is convenient, I've tangoed with newfound discomforts and have been reminded of just how important they truly are. Yesterday, my friend Suzy and I reflected on aspects of our everyday life that were once incredibly novel. Normal Things That We Never Once Thought We'd Do: - Drive a recycling truck - Have a roommate with a 50 year age difference - Carry Bear Spray everywhere - Monitor Compressed Gasses - Parallel park a sprinter van (full of 12 people) - Routinely check Hazardous/Universal Waste/Flammable Cabinets - Climb mountains All of these things, at one point, appeared arduous and incredibly uncomfortable. After some turbulent days, (weeks, months) skills developed, nerves evaporated, doing these things slowly became familiar, and then, suddenly, were normalized. To master the guitar, a musician must first endure some hurt hands. They have to press the strings hard and hold odd shapes. Hands cramp, fingers blister, and you can say goodbye to your nails. Just part of the process. Over time, the straining, the aching, the stiffness, becomes familiar. And familiarity is the first step towards comfortability. Before long, callouses develop, technique improves, and hands stretch. Little by little. Eventually, the process of practicing itself becomes comfortable. Comfortability is sometimes hard to recognize not just because of modern conveniences but because theres always something to strive for. The beginner player starts aiming for intermediacy status. A mountaineer is always looking for a taller peak, a runner is always looking for a better finish time. Alls this to say, the vexations of change will be there whenever we're adopting a new skill, hobby, or mindset. Blisters are to be expected before the callouses. But they'll come. Being uncomfortable is a desideratum of life. A necessity. Without it, the comforts wont be comforts. They'll only be conveniences. And what a shame that would be. #Growthmindest!1!!1!