Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Hide in your shell



This weekend I found myself at a place that was . . . unexpected.

The hubby and the kids and I went to my brother’s new house to visit and see how things were coming along with the unpacking. The bonus for us is that Uncle Jeremy’s house came equipped with a swing set. It’s rickety, and actually leaning at least twelve inches to the right, but the kids don’t seem to mind and their little toddler weights haven’t affected the sad, little structure’s stability thus far. But you won’t catch me on the swings—I’m just sayin’!

I’m digressing.

Okay, so we are outside, avoiding the demolition of my brother’s new, non-baby-proofed home, enjoying the thick, balmy air that is likely laced with 100 percent humidity, when my brother’s neighbor invites—no insists, that we join the party across the fence. After a few awkward moments of polite refusal and some heavily accented guilt-tripping, the man manages to wrangle my brood of boys (brother included) over to his wife’s birthday celebration on their lavish patio.

This is how I ended up spending Saturday night at an Authentic Polish Barbeque.

The vibrancy of their dress, the foreign tang of the spices in the air, the weaving of languages . . . it all sort of awakened my senses, made my world a little bit bigger.

Immersed me in a state of culture shock.

Oh, there was some very questionable food, strange homemade spirits forced into our hands by the kindly, eighty-year old Polish man who doted on me for the duration of the party. He not only made the aged cognac himself but watched intently as we sipped the burning liquid out of courtesy. And at one point, the entire population of Polish-American transplants broke out into a native song, raising there glasses to honor their lovely hosts who treated all—even the motley crew of strangers from next door—as family.

Sometimes I am amazed at life’s little oddities. We dig in our heels, fight against the inevitable discomfort of the unknown, but then . . . when we give in and find ourselves someplace completely out of our element, or doing something way beyond our comfort zone, we find it’s (dare I say it) . . . fun.

Yes, it was completely insane. I felt like the whole thing was straight from a movie script. But when I finally let go of my notions of escape, I opened myself up to the possibility of something new. Something great.

How often does our stubbornness rob us of these beautifully rare moments?

We hide away in our routine, in our comforts, and we miss the party going on right next door.

Have you ever had one of these moments? When was the last time you ditched practicality and did something crazy? Are you glad you did?

I’d love to hear your Polish Barbeque experience.  

13 comments:

  1. I'm glad you joined the party. My entire family is my Polish BBQ experience. Whenever I'm around them I go through similar sensations you describe here. But I'm always glad to join the party.
    ~ Wendy

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  2. It is amazing that family-the people who know us best-can still catch us off guard. And it's great to have people who can pull us out of ourselves. So glad you stopped by, Wendy! Are you coming in Sept?

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  3. It's so true. Sometimes just on the other side of our comfort zones is an amazing experience waiting. I'm glad you joined the party...it sounds like it was a great time!

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  4. Thanks for coming by Joanna! So nice to meet you!

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  5. After reading your blog, I started to wonder if I ever did anything truely out of my comfort zone. I remembered a time when I had a very stressful day at work. When I got home, I called some friends and asked if I could borrow their camping equipment. Now I was never an out-doorsy type of girl. My husband and I loaded up the kids, and drove sixteen hours to the Rocky Mountains the next morning. We actually had one of the best vacations ever! Thanks for helping me remember that beautiful time:)

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  6. I remember that, only I didn't know the whole thing was impromptu. That makes the story even better! Amazing how some of the best times come out of things that are unplanned. Thanks for always posting on here! You're awesome!

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  7. It is so true that we like to stay completely in our comfort zone! Out of pure politeness you went over to this man's family gathering and discovered a new culture of celebrating! Thank you for sharing, you got me thinking about the fact that we all need to step out of our box now and then, if we didn't, think of all the great stuff we would be missing!

    I enjoy reading your blog, you are very talented!

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    1. Thank you so much for coming by my blog and for the encouragement! I hope you find a reason to push your limits and expirence the great things God has for us just outside our comfort zone. A lot of times I find it's where He is and where He calls us to be to make a difference. :)

      Hope you stop by again!

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    2. So ummm what I'm hearing is that you like aged cognac.... ;) JUST KIDDING. Sounds like a fun day and yes something very Sandra-Bullock-movie-y

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  8. Ummm... what about when we decided THE DAY OF, to take a short flight with our newborns to Colorado! Haha! We were crazy, but that trip ended up being a lot of fun! I look back on it now and think about what an awesome time in our life that was. I'm so glad we did it!!

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    1. We were so spontanteous! So unlike us. That trip did turn out suprisingly amazing, even with the babes in tow... and all our crafty ways trying to feed them in Vail Village. :) The vibe I am getting from this conversation is that we, uh... need another vacation? I'm thinking warm and sunny. Beachy. Let's be spontaneous again and make more fond memories!

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    2. Yes! I am thinking maybe beginning of August end of July! I'll look into this today! Haha!

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