Sherry Stanfa-Stanley

I knew many people in a similar situation, particularly midlifers or else young mothers who spent more than their share of evenings folding clothes in front of the TV, daydreaming about the world out there while they contemplated having that second bowl of ice cream.

Regardless of our motivations, at some point we decide to either continue sighing at the status quo of our lives or else we open our minds and our arms to embrace change.

If we want to change our lives, we have to get past what is holding us back. Generally, that’s our own fear.

I fought inertia and stared down fear through a year of experiences I’d never before faced, all outside my comfort zone.

The first rule of going outside our comfort zone is learning to laugh at ourselves.

Together, we jumped the curb, taking a detour from the safe and secure cul-de-sac of our lives, to visit personally unexplored territories.

She tossed out a trickle of encouraging remarks: “Age, shape, and size don’t matter here. Belly dancing is for women who want to celebrate life.”

My sentiments, however, quickly changed gears.

And, I found this final suggestion particularly helpful: “When you begin to feel slightly full: stand up and wiggle your hips from side to side for five to ten seconds. This makes the food go down your esophagus faster and squashes it up in your stomach.”

And I’d learned that sometimes it was OK to take a detour from your ultimate destination, as long as you felt confident and strong enough to get back on course.