Why This Challenge?

I started the Try New Things Challenge 2015 because I realized I didn't enjoy cooking as much as I wanted to. Mostly because I'm not very good at it. When you live by yourself, it's easy to reach for a box of pasta or eggs or processed meals that take ten minutes to heat. When you also have a deblitating disease, it becomes somewhat of a necessity. So why the 2015 Challenge? Why not just learn to cook?

I like my comfort. I seek it. I cherish it. I avoid discomfort at all costs. I’m not necessarily talking about fuzzy socks and a cup of tea, although I do like those! I’m talking about sameness, consistency, and a lack of change. I have my routine and I stick to it. I use the same post office, the same drive-thru coffee shop, and the same grocery store, even if they are out of my way or temporarily inconvenient.

For the past three or four years, I have been battling debilitating psoriatic arthritis, an autoimmune disease that eats at my joints, keeps me run-down and worn out, and makes everyday tasks difficult. I have a wonderful medical team working for me; my primary care physician, my rheumatologist, and their office staffs are amazing! Still, it took a year of immunosuppressant drugs before my rheumatologist finally referred me to an oral surgeon. That surgery was the catalyst for the New Things Challenge 2015 (read "The Challenge" December 1, 2015)

Did I mention I like my comfort? This extends to dinner. I like macaroni and cheese, Italian pastas, and soup with crusty bread. As a single woman living alone, making dinner was never my strength, but since developing this disease, I couldn’t even begin to try elaborate dishes. I cannot chop, squeeze, or open jar lids without assistance, and I cannot stand at the stove for long periods of time. Pasta is easy. Soup is easy. Once I started cooking lessons, with my dear friend Beki Kosydar-Krantz, I learned cooking doesn't have to be difficult. And that gave me the courage to try other new things.

Yoga was next on the list. I started working with Laura Wallo in February, so it's been nearly a year now. I thought when I began, with my doctor's permission, that I'd retain what mobility I have but I wouldn't regain what I've lost. I was wrong! Laura can attest to the fact that I can raise my left arm higher, I have wider range of motion in my neck, and I can get down on the floor (and up again!) almost easily. I'll stick with yoga as long as I possibly can.

Other New Things I've tried, I won't continue. For instance, I've always wanted to know how to crochet. Obviously, with my hands as bent and painful as they are, I didn't think it would be a hobby that would last. But I wanted to try, and Tracy Burner was a great help, giving me some yarn and some knitter's looms to try, and Adrienne Bodsich helped me select the right size hooks and other tools. I won't continue with it, but I am glad I tried.

Do you notice something as you read this post? I've mentioned several people. These are people in my life who have a skill they could share, but more than that, they offer me daily frienship and support. My disease makes life difficult. Friends make life easier.

By the time I reached May, I was ready for a bigger step. My New Thing for May was to join a creative writing group and a group of boardgamers who meet at a local restaurant every other week. When I sat in the parking lot that first night, I had trouble breathing, and I almost talked myself out of it. Did I mention I like my comfort? Anxiety and a tendency to solitude did not make this an easy step to take, because it is way out of the sameness, consistency, and a lack of change comfort zone! But I was able to do so because of the months before, with friends who encouraged and supported my efforts.

What New Thing do you want to try? Perhaps you'll take the New Things Challenge for 2016! Gather your support system and get going!