Life is a little less crazy at work during the first few months of the year – that means I’m only working a normal 40 hours a week, and with consistent timings. I also feel like I’ve finally completely settled into life – both in my little home and with my position on SET.

It takes me a while to get into the rhythm of life, and I’m very much a routine person, so when my routine is being shaken up on a daily basis, it’s hard for me to keep up with all aspects of life.

Last summer I moved (as you know), and living on my own took me a couple of months to get used to. Plus, my job was new, and that took even more getting used to. Then I settled in, and I was good. Then I changed positions at work (as you know) and once again I was thrown into a tailspin of trying to get my footing in a new way of life.

When I was confident in my role as a SET member, Christmas Town was looming ahead of us, and the hours of operation at the Museum changed, as did the tasks of all the SET members. So, once again I had to learn a new set of activities to participate in, plus having my hours all over the map which was exceedingly fun, but rather disruptive to my precious routine.

And then January arrived, and I have that elusive and alluring consistency back within my sights. During the last week and a half, I got caught up on things that I’ve literally been wanting to do since I joined SET on September 30th. It feels so good to be able to sit down and cross things off my mental to-do list and feel the freedom of knowing I’m catching up with life.

I know it takes me longer than average to settle into a new workplace, lifestyle, or routine, and I’ve been working at not balking at that, but rather going at a steady pace. Pushing myself outside my comfort zone is something I do on a daily basis, not necessarily because what I do is so crazy, but because my comfort zone isn’t exceedingly large to start out with. This is something I’ve pondered a lot – I think it’s partly because of my personality, and partly because I spent so many years with health issues so that daily living was outside my comfort zone.

Each morning I wake up feeling grateful and thanking God for my life. I’m so thankful I can work. I can live. I can breathe, stand, and move without the crushing weight of exhaustion and pain dogging my every moment.

Now that I’m finally feeling settled in with living on my own, work, and my no-longer-new position at work, I’m turning my focus towards the next big thing: Mainly, finding a life outside of work.

The common refrain among my boss and teammates is that I really need to get a life and stop offering to work so much overtime and hanging out at work off the clock. So I’m trying.

Last week one of my coworkers posted on Facebook, asking if anyone wanted to go on a hike – I was free the day they were talking about for the excursion, so I commented that I’d like to join them. It sounded like fun, and although it was totally outside my comfort zone to join an adventure when I really wasn’t sure what it would be like, I was determined to just go with the flow and not second guess my decision.

And do you know what? It was tons of fun. We went to Red River Gorge – two hours away from where I live – and the carpooling time was as much fun as the hike itself. We had delightful, stimulating conversations, shared healthy snacks, tired our legs out hiking up and down and the hills, and sat enjoying fantastic views.

This new phase of life – the phase when I bust my comfort zone walls into bitty little pieces doing “unnecessary” things – has arrived. And, although it’s not always easy, it is rewarding, and I’m thankful for the people in my life who make it exceedingly fun.