Comfort Zone or Twilight Zone
Pluses and Minuses
I suppose getting out of one’s comfort zone is a good thing. But, does that necessarily mean opting to stay within one’s comfort zone is a bad thing? My wife and I recently ventured out of our comfort zone by spending a few days in sunny Southern California. After the trip was over, and we assumed our customary positions on our well-worn sofa, did we believe the trip was worth leaving the comforts of home? Well . . .
On the Plus Side
Being a “Norm”, I like to support Norm businesses, if I can. Last year, I contacted Norm’s Famous Hamburgers in Whittier, CA to see if they would send me a T-shirt. They did. And, the manager invited me to stop by for a pastrami sandwich or a burger if I was ever in the area. Well, we were in the area, so we put it on our agenda. It was about twenty miles away from where we were staying in Orange, but we braved the freeways and unfamiliar surroundings to find the place, and I must say, I am glad we did. It was kind of a non-chain fast food place, not much to look at, but the food was excellent. I had the pastrami burger and a milkshake, and my wife had what she called the best chili cheese dog she’s ever had. It was unhealthy, messy food, for sure, but that’s how you know it was good.
The night before, we found an unrelated Norm’s Restaurant near our hotel. This was more of a diner-like establishment, with plenty of seating and quite a large menu. We had an excellent dinner there, too (big cobb salad and country fried steak).
Being brave enough to get out of our comfort zone to locate and try these unfamiliar places turned out really well for us.
On the Minus Side
We certainly had some pleasurable experiences, but they came with a lot of stress. The traffic was awful, and it was compounded by the fact that we did not know where we were going. Our navigation system seemed take us on the most scenic routes, rather than the most simple routes. We saw several neighborhoods in the metro Los Angeles area that we never would have seen had it not been for the navigation system directing us. Those routes may have technically been the shortest distances, but it may have been quicker and less stressful to stay on the main streets. Certainly there would have been less “Where is this damn thing taking us?” being said.
But, There Was a Plus Side
Of course, there can be a flip side to all the stressors that one experiences while out of the comfort zone. For example, we had a surprising enjoyable time at the Big A, the home of the Los Angeles Angels. We attended a baseball game between my Pittsburgh Pirates and the Angels on a Sunday afternoon. I knew the Angels ballpark was one of the older baseball venues, in fact, it is the fourth oldest ballpark, behind Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, and Dodger Stadium. Once we got inside, it seemed smaller than I thought it would be. I really did not expect to like it very much, but it was surprisingly intimate and inviting. Sure, the video boards weren’t as large and modern as in some of the newer ballparks, and the concourses were kind of narrow, and maybe the place seemed to be slightly dated, I guess.
But, there was an intimacy to it, a kind of welcoming vibe that some of the modern ballparks are lacking. My wife described the Big A with a phrase commonly used to describe Wrigley Field in Chicago. She called Angel Stadium “the Friendly Confines”. High praise, indeed. And, if we hadn’t been willing to leave our comfort zone, we never would have seen the great Shohei Ohtani hit a laser beam of a home run. It rocketed over the fence before you could say “Shohei Ohtani.” The only downside to our time at the Big A was the Pirates lost, something they do with alarming frequency, and, truth be told, was to be expected.
However, On the Minus Side
We came to the conclusion that visiting SoCal in the middle of summer is the worst possible time of year, especially if hanging out at the beach is desired. We thought we could get on the Pacific Coast Highway, point the car toward San Diego, and find a nice spot to pull over and dip our toes in the Pacific Ocean. Apparently, most of the population west of the Mississippi River had the same idea because the beaches were overrun with people, who of course came by car, so there were no places to park anywhere anyhow.
I do not believe it would be exaggerating to say that we did not see one available parking spot at any of the public beaches we passed between Dana Point and San Diego. It was a bummer. Score that as one for remaining in the comfort zone.
And Yet, On the Plus Side
We made our way down the coast and it was in San Diego the next morning that we experienced the best reason of the entire trip for leaving our comfort zone. We had a 9:00 am reservation with San Diego Speed Boat Adventures and it was fantastic. We got to drive our own little speedboat, zipping all around San Diego Harbor. There was a guide in a separate boat, who called himself Nashville Nate, and he gave us all the safety and operational information we needed before we started. Once we left the marina and made our way to the open harbor, we, and several other boats, followed Nate on an adventure that was, at times, exhilarating and informative.
There were numerous opportunities to open up the throttle and skim across the harbor at what seemed like high speeds, at least to us. There were also a few moments to relax when we stopped and Nate showed us some of the spectacular San Diego Harbor sights up close. We got a cool view of the city skyline that one only gets from out on the water. There were several old clipper ships docked next to downtown that were very impressive. Speaking of impressive, we drove right up next to the battleship USS Midway, which left us feeling like a flea next to an elephant. All in all, we had a most excellent experience and it was well worth us getting out of the ol’ comfort zone.
Yes, But On the Minus Side
The Pirates also made their way down to San Diego, to play the Padres, and we caught a game at Petco Park. It is one of the newer generation of ballparks, having opened in 2004. Petco was nice enough, and had a terrific video board, large and bright with a very sharp, clear picture. But, to be brutally honest, Petco had all the charm of a business park. It just seemed lacking in . . . personality. And, of course, the Pirates lost again.
It was after the game that we had our most uncomfortable experience of the trip. Our motel was several miles from downtown, but there was a transit station very close by, so we decided to use public transportation to get to and from the ballpark. Never again. Actually, the trip there was okay, but the return trip was a miserable experience. We were using the San Diego Trolley, which is really an electric train, not a classic open air trolley car. After the game, we made it to the nearest transit station with thousands of other baseball fans. A trolley pulled up and people started cramming themselves in. When I got to the door, I thought “Wow, this is already pretty full.” But, I believed there was room for two more, so we squeezed in, and so did maybe twenty more people behind us. There were seats for a lucky few, but most everyone was standing, crammed together, holding on to the rail above. Sardines in a can have more room to move than we did.
To top it off, our trolley had a large contingent of folks belonging to a well-known religious sect, who engaged with a couple of baseball fans who had possibly had imbibed several adult beverages during the game. The conversation was respectful, but unending. The thought did cross my mind that perhaps I had been crushed to death on the San Diego Trolley and had immediately entered Hell. This was how I was going to spend the rest of eternity?
It was truly an awful, miserable experience that we won’t soon forget. That half hour ride was like a scary Twilight Zone episode, and it was when I missed my comfort zone the most.
The Verdict?
So was the trip to SoCal worth leaving our comfort zone? Did the pluses outweigh the minuses? It is a tough call. We had some fun, but there were visits to the Not-So-Comfortable Zone, too. I guess I have to say that it was worth it, because there is too much amazing stuff out in the world that will never be experienced, without leaving that well-worn sofa in your comfort zone once in a while.
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