Prompt #37 - Outside of your comfort zone

Human beings are creatures of habit. We feel good in a certain place, city, with the same people, doing the same kind of activity, and that's our comfort. So, we don't let anything move us, or if a situation does move us, it creates conflicts in different areas of our lives.

We live in a world of constant change, where what the population didn't know about or took months to find out about is now in the past. With information coming in minute by minute, regardless of where we are on the planet, we find out, and that either moves us or keeps us from moving.

There are several stories that have taken me out of my comfort zone. I can briefly recount what my husband and I experienced during the pandemic. We were preparing to go to Colombia to visit our children. We had chosen a date, and everything was organized to begin the trip. The day before, reports of border closures were stronger, although they hadn't officially decided yet. My husband hoped I would cancel the trip, but I didn't.

The journey was by land. Upon arriving in San Antonio del Táchira, we were informed that the border had just closed. My husband looked at me, and I don't know what came over me. I think it was the same feeling I had for all the other passengers: we all decided and accepted to cross via the backroads, as they say. It was quite an adventure, everything we experienced. We walked a lot, crossed a river, and when we finally reached the border crossing and were in Colombian territory, all we could say was, "Thank God."

Then came the arrival in Manizales, our destination, where our children live. News kept coming and going, there was activity at airports and terminals, anticipation, fear of not reaching our planned destinations, and paperwork that needed to be stamped but couldn't be. Our passports were never stamped.

For the first 15 days, we heard the same thing: there was no date set for the borders to reopen. So, to make a long story short, a two-month vacation turned into a year. The positive thing about all of this was that we spent the months of strictest restrictions with our children. It was a gift that the four of us were together, and thank God we were healthy; we had no health issues.

The truth is, it was completely out of my comfort zone, not being at home with my daily routines, not controlling my spending because we depended on our children, but there were many positive things. A lot of learning in many aspects.