Thirty Days of Me: Day Twenty Six

The challenge for day twenty six.... How have you changed in the last five years.

Let's see.... Five years ago was July, 2007. I had just turned 33 years old. I was still married - and happily. I thought my biggest problem was the ant infestation found when we replaced the sliding glass door in my kitchen. I had no idea how to handle the situation, and completely freaked out.

I worked for an insurance carrier, and thought I wanted a different job, but wasn't doing anything about it. I was the primary earner and we had a mortgage. We had a mortgage, which means we had a house. I took care of the inside; I had no idea how to care for the outside, how to use a tool, and I had no inclination to learn.

I believed I'd never need to know, because that was why I got married in the first place.

I was quiet, and shy. I wouldn't even walk into a restaurant first, let alone solo. I didn't have a lot of friends, and spent most of my time with my husband. I thought that was normal.

Five years later.... I'm not married. As it turned out, July 2007 was the last July I would be.

I no longer work for that insurance carrier. My job was eliminated as part of a corporate buyout. I still have the job that replaced it, which is largely the same. I'm more okay with it now than I was then. That doesn't stop me from trying to branch out and do a little for myself - something I wouldn't have done five years ago.

Most of the friends I have, I've made in the last five years. In fact, some of my closest friends are people I've met in the last two years. I regularly walk into situations solo, where I don't know anyone, and I don't think very many people would describe me as shy anymore.

I'm still introverted....but I think most people don't realize that's not the same thing as shy. Basically, being outgoing and extroverted is an effort for me, and it isn't my comfort zone. Something I've learned in the last five years is that sometimes, we have to step out of our comfort zone to survive.

I hang pictures, wall paper border, build furniture, mow the lawn, shovel the driveway. I've learned what I can do, what I can't, and what I just want to hire out.

The ants are gone - and five years later, I'm much better at dealing with my own problems.