Every day, I ask my students to do things that are not comfortable for them. I get this. I constantly have to remind myself that just because something comes naturally to me (algebra) or I enjoy doing it (writing), my propensity for and/or enthusiasm unfortunately doesn't just leak into them by osmosis. I figure the best way for me to encourage them to get outside their comfort zones and put their whole selves into the effort is to show them how I get outside my comfort zone in my own life.
The four smiling faces above betray the nervousness I was feeling. I was the one who invited my fellow teachers to explore waterfalls in North Carolina for the day. I was outside my comfort zone on SO many levels! What if we got lost? What if someone got hurt? What if they hated the experience and we had to look at each other in school every day and remember that AWFUL day when we went hiking together last summer? They might even have to make up a new award for me: WORST teacher of the year.
OK...so I'm exaggerating, but I was really nervous. I wanted everyone to have an amazing experience we'd all look back on...a day of earned memories where we worked hard and saw beautiful things together, things we could write and talk about like we are on this blog. As it turns out, we DID have that kind of day, and getting outside my comfort zone paid huge dividends. Below are some examples where getting outside my comfort zone really paid off!
On the left is the waterfall we had hiked to see: Little Sliding Rock. On the right is what you get to see if you go behind that waterfall and hike upstream through and around slippery, moss-covered rocks risking getting shoes and socks wet. What a magical spot, isn't it? Maybe I'll go back with a sketchbook one day and write or draw there. Maybe I'll write a story set there. MAYBE I'll get even MORE outside my comfort zone one day by sliding down the falls like one of our group did! I'll let HER tell that story!
On the left is the waterfall we had hiked to see: Moore Cove Falls. There's a wooden observation deck where you can stand and get the view in this picture. However, the view is much better from BEHIND the falls. Then if you look closely, you'll see trails going up behind the falls in both directions. Some of us hiked a pretty vertical trail with roots and rocks. It was a little scary, and we got more than a little dirty. When we got to the top, we were rewarded with another waterfall! The safety conscious hiker in me needs to point out that the trail was always obvious and the conditions for hiking were safe; we were never in physical danger by hiking this side trail.
In the pictures below, the one on the left shows the bank you have to scramble down and back up in order to see Pound Pup Falls, which were obscured by think rhododendron from the top of the trail. It was steep and muddy. On the way down, I had to sit and slide down part way. On the way back, I had to hang on to trees and roots in order to make it up because it was so muddy and slippery. I was totally outside my comfort zone the rest of the day because I had to wear muddy clothes, but the experience of hanging out by that waterfall was totally worth getting a little uncomfortable to get there.
Above is my favorite example of getting uncomfortable. We followed directions from one of my trail books to find Cove Creek Falls. We hiked; we back-tracked; we wandered, and we wondered; we felt lost. We kept going because the trail guide seemed to match our experience, but, seriously, does the trail on the left LOOK like a trail? It didn't to us, either. We felt like Amazon jungle warriors walking through this overgrown brush. At one point, the trail seemed to end and we had to continue on moss-covered rocks and hop a stream to pick up the trail on the other side. We kept following the directions in our trail guide, and were glad we did. The waterfall on the right was the most spectacular one of the day. It's hard to describe the payoff you feel when you go through the kind of effort we went through and then get to experience something amazing like this. Maybe you'll hike there one day and find out for yourself!
I love this picture. It says to me, "Explore!"
You never know what's up those stairs and around that bend if you're not willing to risk getting dirty or tired or sore.
The same is true with every adventure.
Put everything you've got into it because you don't know what you'll get out of it unless you do.
Now, go have an adventure of your own!
We hiked this series of waterfalls on Wednesday, June 5, 2013:
Moore Cove Falls (2 miles), Looking Glass Falls (roadside with stairs), Falls on Tributary of Slate Rock Creek/Pound Pup Falls (4 miles), Falls on Cove Creek, Little Sliding Rock/Cove Creek Falls (3 miles)
What a fun adventure we had! Woot!
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