Life Begins At The End Of Your Comfort Zone
Posted On: Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Life Begins At The End Of Your Comfort Zone ~Neale Donald Walsh
Sometimes we push ourselves to expand beyond our comfort zone and other times we have no choice. Life throws us challenges that we don’t expect and situations that we don’t want to deal with. Regardless of how we end up there, it is what we do once when we get there that counts. We can retreat, hide or put our head in the sand. Or we can accept that uncomfortable place or choose to push through, move forward… learn and grow from that experience. Hopefully we will come out the other side stronger, wiser and with new skills that allow us the courage to constantly live life on that edge. Because from that edge when you look around you can see beyond the horizon, over the mountains and the view, as well as the possibilities are endless.
My push to the edge was a diagnosis of breast cancer… I try to remember that uncomfortable place, that fear of the big unknown… and from time to time I go back there on my own. Sometimes “living at the end of your comfort zone” can be something simple like trying a new hair style or a new hair color. “Blondie” was the nickname my best friends gave me back in high school. I would dose my head with lemon juice and sit in the sun in an attempt to get my blond locks even blonder. Over the years trips to the hairdresser replaced the lemon juice & sunshine method of maintaining my “blondness”.
I lost all of my hair during my chemotherapy treatment. My hair grew in very slowly and as it grew in there were no traces of the familiar “blond” that I was so accustomed to. I couldn’t wait for my hair to grow in long enough to get it highlighted back to my regular color- back to normal. For many of us our “hair” is a big part of how we see ourselves and how others see us. Our hair can give us confidence or make feel self conscience. I’ve had plenty of Bad Hair Days. Believe me when I say not only my hair was bad, I let the bad hair negatively impact my attitude.
This brings me to the One Mission Kid’s Cancer Buzz-Off on June 3rd. I have chosen to go bald in support of children fighting cancer. I’m doing this because I know from personal experience that cancer sucks and these kids do not have a choice to lose their hair, but I do. I also know what it’s like to be sick, bald and feel self conscience about not having hair. It would have be an easier and more comfortable choice for me to participate in a breast cancer walk or run. However, the knowledge that cancer is the number one disease related cause of death for children in the United States motivated me to push outside of my comfort zone and to take on baldness once again. This time it is my choice and it is for an important cause. Not only will I be bald soon, I changed up my hair color to a dark almost black purple with pink highlights. I would have never had the courage to do either of these things pre-breast cancer.
If you feel compelled to support this important cause and my bald head you can visit www.thebutterflytreestore.com for a link to my fundraising page. No amount is too small and is greatly appreciated. The money raised will help fund programs and services at the Children’s Hospital Boston that provide help, hope, care and support to kids and families battling cancer.
Unfortunately cancer touches too many lives. We all know someone that has faced this awful disease. I lost my Dad to colon cancer, my uncle to pancreatic cancer, my mother-in-law to lung cancer and a friend to breast cancer. I know many cancer survivors including myself, so I know there is hope.
RISK more than others think is safe, CARE more than others think is wise, DREAM more than others think is practical, EXPECT more than others think is possible. ~Cadet Maxim
Love & Gratitude,
Maria Piedra
