Today, I braved the traffic and frightful parking lots of North Campus. Hauled my pasty, readily-sunburnable ass across town in the beating sun just for the company. I played hookie for the sake of it. Took a road whose destination I couldn’t guess, just to see if I could shave a minute off my trip — or if it would even take me where I wanted to go at all. (I couldn’t and it didn’t.) I made a promise that I knew was for my own good even though I’d rather have weaseled my way out of it. Bared my soul to someone I’ve just met. Smiled at a stranger.
And it seems to me that whatever zone this is, outside my comfort, it’s not as uncomfortable as you’d suspect.