Everything is Different

So it sounds like an obvious statement and perhaps your first impression of this is that it's rather inconsequential. And to an extent I believe it is. We can all adapt if we want to, as challenging as it can feel at times. But "Different" does takes some getting used to, and the more things that are different, the more challenging Different can feel.

Those who know me will know that I'm quite particular about food, about what I eat..what's good for me...what I like the taste of, the texture of etc. Yesterday I tried dim sum for the first time. No big deal really...we went, we ate, we left. The whole experience was over in a hour. Before we got to the restaurant, which by the way, was reminiscent of a room used to host a very large, impersonal wedding reception, with lots and lots of round tables and a vast array of waiting staff milling about with trolleys of food, I adjusted my "normal" attitude to food as much as I could and tried to be open to the food that was about to be placed in front of me, reminding myself that millions of people eat it all time...how bad can it be? As it happens, it was all fine...our hostess thought to ask about any dietary preferences before the food arrived so that meant I wasn't presented with anything too outlandish, which helped :-) By my standards, I did pretty well but yesterday afternoon was not so good for me. I felt nauseous and my belly hurt. Yes I had surrendered my boundaries to accommodate something new but my body was letting me know that maybe, just maybe...that wasn't the best thing, for me.

So now I'm caught in a place I keep finding myself lately and it's interesting to observe. The question is, how much should we adapt to our surroundings to fit in to a new culture, to belong and most importantly to try new things and gain new experiences and how much should we just trust our own instincts about what is good for us? Actually, when I see it written like that, for me there is no deliberation...Trust your instincts and your body! However, I sometimes have trouble distinguishing between Instinct and Fear and herein lies my problem. Instinct, we need to learn to trust. Fear, we need to learn to overcome.

There are I believe, many people out there who have no trouble trying new stuff, whether it be food or something else. I admire these people and often wish I could be more like them. So I try...but often it backfires. Sometimes I will have a wonderful experience and wonder what all the fuss was about...but other times, there is something deeper within me that continues to shake it's head and say...Hmm...see...told you so...it's not for you!

Of course all this soul-searching is nothing much to do with whether I like dim sum or not but yesterday dim sum for me was a trigger that set me thinking and this is how it goes for me, in a new country. In fact, these days, in any country! I continue to question my reactions to things over and over and that question is...Fear...or Instinct?