As I’m here, enjoying a very relaxed evening by the water in Uruguay, I’m contemplating the need to be continually stretching our comfort zones.

The world is going to stretch our comfort zones anyway, so we might as well get better at it on purpose!

I’ve been doing quite a bit of stretching over the last few months, and it’s starting to feel better the more it’s a conscious choice.

For example, I’m not used to traveling alone, and I’ve never been to South America before. I’ve traveled quite a lot in my life, but I’ve always been with other people. I’m also not used to being alone in a city. Not that I’m a country girl, but I do love the peace and quiet of nature and the little neighborhood where I live outside of Cincinnati.

My flight here was the worst of my entire life, with extreme turbulence that lasted for three hours. I’m very used to flying long distances, and I’m used to turbulence. But not like this. Even the flight attendant said this was not at all normal and it was “really bad”, which tells you a lot!

I’m here visiting my older son who is living here for the time being, but that doesn’t mean he’s spending all of his time with me (of course!), and I decided to stay alone at an Airbnb. My apartment is just perfect for me and I feel quite safe there. But it still took me a few days to get used to the area and feel comfortable wandering around on my own. I’ve stretched myself just a little bit more every day, and it’s feeling really good.

Last week, I stretched my comfort zone hugely when I improvised a little lullaby and shared the video here on Facebook. It’s the first time I’ve ever sung in public, and it was something I’ve always been terrified to do, but I did it. And it wasn’t actually so difficult. Yay! 🙂

I don’t think it’s ever been as clear to me as it is in this moment how absolutely essential it is to keep growing by continually doing things that are just a little bit uncomfortable. It’s all too easy to get lulled into a false sense of security by always seeking out what’s easy and comfortable.

But the soul knows what it needs on a deeper level than the logical mind, and the body reflects that.

We need to get better and better at getting quiet and listening to our bodies and our soul’s true desires and taking a little risk with the next step that takes us in the direction that is aligned with our highest good.

Full of gratitude for more clarity today than ever before.

And full of appreciation for you, dear Reader. I’ve learned so much from stretching my comfort zone here in public whenever I share a post. And your positive feedback over the years has helped reinforce my belief that this is a necessary and good thing to do. Thank you!

And now, I have a question for YOU:

What will you do today to stretch your comfort zone just a little bit?

I’d love to hear, and I will be happy to cheer you on! Just send me a message or leave a comment and share your next challenging step.

For some of you, simply reaching out to write me an email might be stretching your comfort zone a wee bit. But don't let that stop you – go for it!

With Love & Light,
Jennifer ❤️

P.S. Here's some graffiti I saw on a wall when I went for a stroll on the boardwalk a few days ago.

It says: “May your courage be greater than your fear” – how perfect is that! 🙂

P.P.S. You can watch/hear me singing the lullaby on YouTube by clicking here.