say yes.

I am having issues with something.  I am learning that I am fundamentally different than some people in my life, and I am not quite sure how to handle it.

I thrive on saying yes.  When the chance to try something new, experience something, see something comes my way, even if it's outside my comfort zone and even if I am not sure I will enjoy it, I still want to say yes to it, at least once.  I want to live my life knowing I have been open to most everything.  I would rather be slightly tired and very busy and know I have lived a full life.


I find myself struggling with those around me who are the opposite.  When given the perfect chance to do new things, they decide to go home instead, or just skip out and stay in their comfort zone.  For a while, it just bothered me.  Now I am starting to realize it's just a fundamental difference between us, and one I have a lot of internal trouble with.  I don't know how to truly love and connect with these (what I call) "no" people.  I WANT to, but it actually hurts me and pulls me down.  


It is not that I can't connect with people who are unlike myself.  Wes and I are complete opposites, truly.  But we encourage each other to grow, to be better.  We are always open to new things.  Our comfort zone is very large, and we know there's nothing wrong with trying things and not liking them - that's just life.  We are not afraid of trying and failing, but we ARE afraid of not trying.  


I look at some of the people in my life and I think - if they continue living in this complacent way for years - if something ever happens - they get into a bad accident, or they get cancer and don't have that long to live - they will regret so much.  That they never experienced things, even things they could drive to in a day.  That they had the time, health, ability, but they never traveled anywhere.  That they never tried new hobbies even once.  That they chose to stay home when there were a thousand new places they could have been.  That they never read any new genre of book, never tried their hand at art or went to see someone in another state even though they could.  It's incredibly sad.  

I want to always know, in my heart, that my life can always get better, every day.  I can create that, and I choose to create it.  I want to know that my best days are always ahead of me, even when I am 80 and enjoy different things than I do today.  If you believe your life was at its best in the past, you are living a sad life, and I never want to do that.

Maybe I am the minority.  Maybe I am not considerate enough of people's preferences and fears.  But I know myself, and I know I can not be close (in my heart) to those who I do not share this with - it is the very core of myself and my life.  I don't want to fight it.  I don't want to chase people who just want to stay the way they are now forever.  I don't want to feel sad and hurt and exhausted from worrying that they will have regrets.  

Perhaps the best I can hope for is that living my life saying yes will help others to do the same....and even if it does not, I can not regret a thing about my life.  I just hope the people I love can say the same.