Leaving the Comfort Zone
Elizabeth Moran, Rocky Mountain Way
 Before I left on my Moondance trip I was more nervous than I have ever been. I was about to go out into the wilderness and attempt things I never thought would be possible. On top of that, I was going to do this with people I had never met and I had never even been out in the wilderness overnight before! I wondered what the people were going to be like and what the trip was going to entail. I distinctly remember the anxiety I had of getting on an airplane alone, not knowing what I was about to do or whom I was going to meet. Needless to say, in the wake of uncertainty, I was anxious. But there was a good reason for my anxiety: I was about to leave my “comfort zone”.
To me, leaving the comfort zone meant getting away from all that I normally did; exploring the unfamiliar. It was about meeting total strangers, climbing a mountain for the first time in my life, not taking a shower for a few days and wearing the same outfit more than one day in a row! It was getting away from civilization—regardless of how uncomfortable I initially may feel—and making the most of my natural environment. It meant leaving the familiar behind, and confronting the fear of the unknown so that I could explore, discover new things, and be adventurous.
When I arrived at my first trailhead just below the Colorado Rockies, the reality sank in: I was out of my comfort zone. I was in the midst of a lot of newness and “firsts”—new faces, new scenery, and new activities. I was away from the routine of my everyday life. I no longer had all the luxuries I was used to: no clean clothes, no TV, the phone, my friends, and—most of all—no showers! I wondered what we were going to do, if I was going to enjoy it, and if I was going to succeed.
In those all-too-short two weeks, my group and I did succeed. We learned so much from each other and accomplished so much more than I ever had anticipated. Throughout my fifteen days, my group and our instructors shared dazzling sunrises, hiked deep into the stunning wilderness, and stood below gorgeous waterfalls. All the while, we learned and laughed and made life-long memories. All the anxieties I had before I started my Moondance course were immediately forgotten. Though I was officially out of my day-to-day “comfort zone,” I was more than comfortable in my new surroundings.
And now, as I prepare for the Moondance Leadership course I am taking this summer, I have an entirely new perspective on leaving my comfort zone, even though it is much larger than it was before my first Moondance trip. I have more confidence in myself and in my abilities to accomplish whatever I want. I have a new appreciation for the environment and I realize how fortunate I am to have all the luxuries of our modern day life. Of course, I still wonder about who will be in my group and what the trip will entail. I still wonder about where we will travel and who my instructors will be. However, regardless of whom I am with or where we go, I know that I can meet the challenge. My previous Moondance experience taught me this and more.
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