Living Large Summer of Fun Scavenger Hunt Week #3: Do Something You Haven’t Done Since You Were a Kid

Teri Conrad says:

Hi Kerri. I can’t remember where I posted to participate in the Living Large Scavenger Hunt, but after reading your latest blog post I felt compelled to share something with you. For the past 14 months, I’ve been challenging myself to venture outside of my comfort zone, and for the most part I would say that I’ve been pretty successful at it. For starters, I moved from a comfortable two-bedroom home located 20 miles from Mountain Home, Ark. (due to sale) to a cramped but nicely renovated studio apartment located 35 miles from Mountain Home. By studio I mean to say nicely that it is a well-equipped and nicely situated “garage” that overlooks Bull Shoals Lake, and was converted into a living space for the owner’s mother-in-law. (From what I understand she lived here six-months before moving back to “civilization.”) While I’ve lived in both country and city settings, I would have to say that I’m more accustomed to living in the city. What I didn’t enjoy about it however, were the nosy neighbors, cramped living areas and noise. As a writer, I love quiet and the sounds of nature because it helps me stay inside my head as I write and is free of distractions. So suffice it to say that moving so far from “town” has really taken me out of my comfort zone. Oh, did I mention that I’m terrified of spiders and snakes, both of which are in abundance here in the nook of the woods where I now call home? Over time, I’ve learned to distinguish between good snakes and bad ones; venomous are considered bad in my book, and all spiders are scary to me. But the one thing that has caused me to feel most uncomfortable and frightened is living amongst scorpions both in and outside of the studio apartment. Yes, I’ve even been stung by one and just seeing them crawl across the floor or carpet, or climb up along the walls makes me cringe. But I digress. During my endeavors to challenge myself to acclimate and stretch beyond my comfort zone, I have opened myself up to trying “new” things and learning from the experience. Last year, while attending a stand up paddle board or SUP, for short, class hosted by the Buffalo National Park service, I discovered that I really enjoyed it and after saving up for several months, I purchased one that inflates for easy transporting. It is absolutely a blast to do and I’ve become rather good at it. However, finding a place to set my board down so I can paddle away and relax, even swim in the lake has been challenging because of the flooding in and around the area, and the rough terrain required to traverse in order to get anywhere near the lake (remember my fear of snakes; add in chiggers and ticks as well). Yesterday, I discovered an easy access from near where I live that allowed me to set my board down without hiking or walking through grass, weeds, or rocky terrain and enjoy my alone time in my “Zen” zone. It is a little strange being out in the middle of a lake all alone; yes, I do bring my phone and it’s in a water tight container, but I have learned to enjoy it and take the necessary precautions of wearing a life jacket, letting my landlord know where I’m headed, and not stay out too long. Even an hour spent SUPing provides immeasurable joy and is really all I need to enjoy myself. If I still lived in the city, chances are that I probably would not have allowed myself to try something like this because it may have been cost prohibitive, or because of the amount of traffic required to get to where I could enjoy it. I’m pretty proud of myself for choosing to go and seek out something new and continue pursuing “fun” despite being on my own out in the middle of nowhere, I mean, Webb’s Landing, in Arkansas.