It’s easy to get caught up in doing the exciting things. Maybe you want to go big and try something new. Maybe you are nervous about even going out in the first place. I think social anxiety is a very serious thing to talk about. Being isolated by the COVID pandemic hasn’t helped much either. Right now I’m finding myself in a weird sort of reintroduction period. It really is a shift and we all go through shifts in our lives.

I’ve been taking small steps to get back out there and let myself be seen. For me going to a pumpkin patch with my sisters was enough to start. Now why am I even talking about a pumpkin patch? It’s not about the pumpkin patch as much as it is about taking chances and trying something different even if it doesn’t match your expectations. I felt like actually going out and doing some kind of fall activity. I don’t normally make a big deal out of fall or spooky season and I wanted to switch it up a bit. That’s where the pumpkin patch came in. I had already searched high and low for the best events to try out. I’m not much of a nightlife person and I don’t really enjoy partying too much, so this was the perfect choice.

Now this pumpkin patch promised carnival rides, live entertainment, great food and fun all at the Santa Anita race track! Of course I was going to go! So with that in mind my sisters and I decided to go ahead and have a great time. As we got ready, left the house, and got closer to our destination we were really looking forward to having a good time. Imagine our surprise when the carnival games appeared a bit lack luster, the pumpkin patch was really a pumpkin EZ up, and the only rides were a big slide and a feris wheel. Maybe we should have adjusted our expectations a bit, but we were there and we had to make the best of it.

I had a small urge to turn back around. I mean we didn’t pay much at all and we could probably do something better. I almost went ahead with that, but I really wanted to take a chance and stay anyway. After a quick scan of everything we obviously decided to go on the big slide first. I had to admit I wasn’t thinking much of it, but that thing was so fun! That was a pretty good kick off for what turned out to actually be a fun day. To the event’s credit there were three food trucks that were pretty great.

The moral of the story for me was that even if something doesn’t initially meet your expectations, there is always a way to make the best of it. For those of us trying to get back out there and try something new, even the smallest steps count on the journey. If you get caught up thinking about what could go wrong or lamenting the fact that you don’t have a squad or a crew to do things with that’s immediately available, you’ll miss out on some of life’s most amazing moments. You’ll look over the memories you could have made and think, “what if”. Life is too short to worry about the small things.

I don’t know why it happens, but it’s not hard to talk yourself out of doing a good thing for yourself. You shouldn’t have to worry about what it’s going to look like to others. You shouldn’t be concerned about whether or not people are going to know you. One small step I took today was doing something nice for myself and carving out some me time. It wasn’t grand and it wasn’t flashy. It was what I needed at the time and it helped me feel better.

We often get turned off by the mundane and simple. In this digital, social age we put ourselves down for not keeping up with a favorite influencers and celebrities. We forget that they have some simple days too. Our value isn’t placed on how many people see what we do or how many people know us at any given event. Our runs to the grocery store aren’t any less significant than some of the events we go out to. At the end of the day all of these things are events and moments in our lives and there’s nothing wrong with boring or mundane. You are allowed to show up for yourself however you deem fit.