Our Rural Roots

Meredith Bernard, Progressive Farmer Contributor

I like comfortable. Comfort food? Give me all the chicken, pastry and chocolate meringue pie. Comfy clothes? Let me live in elastic waistbands and my favorite fuzzy slippers. Comfort zones? Don't make me get out of my safe box.

Except -- what if?

I've been asking myself "what if" a lot the past several months. What if I'm meant to step across the line of comfort and reach for more -- whatever more is? Here's what I'm learning when I do take that scary step.

When I say yes to something I feel called to but fully unequipped for, there's immediate "acceptance remorse" (let's let that be a thing). I tell myself all the reasons I'm actually not a good fit, not prepared, not ready, not ... not ... not.

But, if I change the narrative to "not yet, but ..." the walls of apathy and resistance begin to crumble.

The thing about our safe boxes is that, from the inside, we feel free, but from the outside, it's easy to see the freedom is limited to the walls we've built around us.

Take my daughter working her horse in the round pen. There's a lot of things they can do together in that confined space, but there's so much more that can be accomplished outside of it. While the safety of the pen is necessary for starting, the only way to real growth is by opening the gate and exploring the world on the other side.

So, what if? What if you and I are meant to get uncomfortable to live most alive? What if the guise of safety is holding us back from becoming the person we were created to be?

That's what I'm going to be considering the next time I get called to venture outside my comfort zone -- over a piece of pie, of course.

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Meredith Bernard tends farm and family, and writes, takes photographs and explores comfort zones from North Carolina. Follow her on social media @thisfarmwife, and visit her website at https://thisfarmwife.com/…

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