It's good to stretch...

So yesterday we went to the beach. My hubby's cousins were in town with their kids and were staying in a condo there, so they invited us to spend the day with them. Actually, hubs had already taken the kids there a few days ago, but I stayed home with the baby.
(Why? Well, as our other children did, baby hates the car. And consequently the crying gives her mother a great deal of anxiety. Plus, she is going through major separation anxiety, and only mommy will do. That means that I have to hold her all.day.long. Plus she eats everything, sand included. And she crawls and pulls up everywhere, meaning even being in the condo would be stressful as it's not baby proofed at all.)

So, yesterday, on a whim, I decided I'd try to go with hubs and the kids. Everyone was surprised. Hubs asked me no less than four times if i was sure, no pressure if i didn't want to go, i could stay home, everyone would understand. The best though, was older daughters reaction of "mommy you're going?!?! Yay!!!" with a look of total surprise and glee.
*Disclaimer-I'm not an ogre. I do fun stuff with the kids everyday. We go places everyday. I just keep the car travel to a fifteen minute maximum, as that seems to be baby's limit. I also don't generally to all day affairs, since baby doesn't nap well out. Just wanted to clear my reputation there...;)

The hour before we left was filled with stress and anxiety on my part, and finally we all got in the car right at baby's nap time, hoping she would sleep most of the way. I sat, tense, counting the minutes she had been asleep, knowing that her normal morning nap was only 30 minutes log, and that would leave an hour and a half where she would most likely be crying. Sure enough, almost exactly 30 minutes later, she woke up. I anticipated the worst, but actually, it wasn't too bad! She did cry, a little, but I was able to sit next to her and give her snacks and otherwise keep her entertained. 

We had a lovely day with family. Really, really beautiful, not stressful. The beach was gorgeous, the weather was fantastic, the kids did not stop moving-running, swimming, building, exploring-for one minute. I even had some down time to read my book. 

On the way home, hubs kept telling me "thanks for coming, I know how hard it is to stretch out of your comfort zone". And I got to thinking, it just may be a good thing to do that once in a while. Had I done what would have been comfortable, I would have missed a great day with my family! As it was, I stretched myself, a lot, and it turned out to be a fun day! 

All this to say, I encourage you to stretch yourself today...do one thing outside of your comfort zone. No matter how silly (I don't know anyone else who feels so much anxiety about the car like I do, and most of my friends wouldn't think twice about going to the beach with their infant).  You know that thing your kids have wanted to do that you dread? Do it! If you are normally not the 'artsy fartsy' type, spread some butcher paper on the floors and walls and paint! If going to the play ground and actually playing with them horrifies you, surprise them today! 
Or your hubby, you know how he just looooves action/sic-fi movies? Go with him to one! Eat at that little dive you haven't had ever gone to before. Do something daring and out of character, tomorrow you can go right back to the normally scheduled you, promise.
You may find, like I did, that you are pleasantly surprised! And trust me, your family will treasure the memory.