Don't Get Too Comfortable....

At church this past Sunday, Fr. Bob spoke about stepping outside your comfort zone. I felt as if he was talking to me specifically. You see, I spent three days last week outside of my comfort zone. I put myself there. I wanted to be there. I was part of a small group that trained to facilitators on the new High Ropes course at camp. I was excited and nervous at the same time, having no clue what to expect. Unlike the other participants, I had never been on or even looked at a high ropes course and was feeling a little overwhelmed at the beginning. I can’t say it was completely the heights, but frankly, 20 or 40 feet in the air, standing on a wire or a teeny tiny platform, scary. The course was mentally challenging, even more so than physically. I made the choice to take that training and wanted to squeeze every drop of experience out of it that I could.



There were people in the group I knew, people I didn’t, people I felt super comfortable with and trusted, and others I wasn’t so sure about. Trust is not something I can give on a whim. I don’t want to be preachy and say that you have to earn my trust, yadda yadda, but honestly, I had a hard time just putting my life in someone’s hands right away. Saying to someone, “Yes, go ahead, clip me into these cables and I’ll just trust you” or “Sure, I’ll stand on this platform with you and trust you to send me down the zip line” or “Uh, okay, I’ll climb this wall and let you control the ropes that keep me from plummeting to the ground,” not so easy. It was a completely different world up there, at least the view I had. It was new, it was scary, it was challenging to the body. I had muscles that hurt that I didn’t know I had, I had scrapes and bruises, I had a thumb that was still healing that got pushed to it’s limits and perhaps beyond.


Going beyond what we perceive to be our limits is not easy at all. As humans we like to comfortable, we find our circle, our niche, the places and people we feel at ease with, and we tend to stick with that. Some people are brave souls, living life outside that circle, or perhaps with no circle at all. It is a challenge and a choice to step outside that comfort zone, to take a leap of faith (though often not so literal of a leap), and try something new. Climbing the wall, riding the zip line, traversing elements suspended in the air, none of these things fall within my comfort zone. I stepped outside, took some deep breaths, and went for it, did the best I could, and told myself that trying something new, taking the challenge, already means I succeeded. I may not have been the best at doing the tasks, but I did the best I could.


It was odd to sit in church, where, to be completely honest, I am not always listening, and feel like someone was talking to me. I know Fr. Bob wasn’t, but relating what he was saying to what I had experienced for three days, was interesting. I can’t say the moment was particularly religiously significant, but rather personally significant. It was a moment when the term, a leap of faith, took on some new meaning for me. I literally had leapt and had to have faith, not only in myself, but others. Faith and trust went hand in hand, and thankfully, those were strong hands!


What have you done that has put you outside your comfort zone? How did you feel afterwards?

Who Doesn't Love a Good Cookie?

I love cookies; they are absolutely one of my favorite treats ever! Who doesn’t love cookies? Whether they are grabbed from the Oreos package on the counter or fresh baked, they are amazing. My love of cookies runs deep, think Angelica from the old-school Nickelodeon cartoon “Rugrats.” Seriously, I never seem to get enough. Well, sometimes things change….

When you work for the Girl Scouts, cookies take on a whole new meaning. I am sure that most of you are now drooling at the thought of Thin Mints, but let me tell you, the behind the scenes is a completely different world. Now, I do not mean for this to be an exposé on the world of Girl Scout cookies, but there is a lot of work that goes on before, during and after the sale that leads to you getting those coveted boxes from your smiling neighborhood Girl Scout. There is a staff that works hard to prepare troop leaders and other volunteers for the sale, ever so nicely schooling them on how to talk to the parents of the girls in their troop about the sale, when to sell (and not to sell early, as that is a big no-no), how to place their troop order, where and when and how to pick up the orders, deliver the orders, collect the money. Yes, it is a lot of information and a lot of work for the troop leaders as well. They are volunteers that are so generous with their time and a big part of why the cookie sale is such a big success in councils all over the country. There are area cookie coordinators who organize all the details of the ordering and delivery of the cookies for their town or county. So many people behind the scenes that you, as a cookie-loving supporter of Girl Scouts, never see.

Cookie time is hectic to say the least. It is a time of hauling boxes, resulting in sore muscles and scraped knuckles, paper cuts and headaches. It is a time of organizing and re-organizing, phone calls and money collection. It is a time when drive from town to town to oversee and assist with deliveries and in the process, you get really sick of the smell of cardboard. As a staff member, you might feel overwhelmed, and rightly so. At the end of the day, it is a labor of love, truly. It is about girls gaining valuable leadership experience, learning about financial literacy by counting their boxes and dollars, setting goals and working to meet them, of working to earn money to do special projects or go on trips. For some little girls, the first time they get that cookie order card and knock on the neighbor’s door, is magical, it is a moment they never forget. I know I still remember going door to door and selling cookies as a Girl Scout, a proud member of Troop 58, Land of Lincoln Council. It was such an experience, and me being the little goal-getter, I always tried to sell as many as I could, more than anyone else in my troop. Usually, I succeeded. It was hard work, but oh so worth it in the end. Now, as an adult, it is so exciting to see girls come in and pick up their cookies, looking in amazement at the large stacks that they worked to sell.

Cookies sales do so much for the girls in Girl Scouts, they provide opportunities like nothing else can. They are part of something so large, a national experience of learning new skills and setting goals, and the excitement, oh the excitement! The sale also provides opportunities for the adult volunteers and supports the staff. It is a circle of support and energy and chaotic opportunity. So, when you open that box of Girl Scout cookies, so excited that they have finally arrive, think for a moment about the work that went into that box getting your hands, the staff, the volunteers, the girls. We may be exhausted and ready to see them go as quickly as they came, but deep down, we know it is a well-earned exhaustion, from laboring with love for all girls. Yes, I still love cookies and Girl Scout cookies rank amongst my favorites (no, they don’t pay me to say that), but I am, and by the end of this cookie delivery week, will be exhausted, not wanting to hear the word cookie for quite some time. I know, I know. When I started at Girl Scouts, I was told that my enthusiasm for cookie time would not last. Honestly, it has not yet faded. I can be enthusiastic and excited and exhausted all at the same time. Sometimes exhausted enthusiasm shows how hard you work and the passion you have. Perhaps a cookie will perk me up a bit....

A New Law

Being employed is such a good feeling! YES! Yesterday morning I enthusiastically accepted the position of Membership Specialist with Girl Scouts of Central Illinois. I start my job this coming Monday and am very excited about it. For whatever reason, it is more than just knowing I have a job, that a paycheck will be coming in (although this is exciting as well to be completely honest); I feel like this job is the right one, the right fit for me. I had that feeling applying for it, and I guess I was right. I am looking forward to the new opportunites, experiences, fun and challanges that the position will bring. Each company and organization has rules for their employees, but it is so great knowing that there is a common set of rules and expectations for all Girl Scouts, girls, and adults, including staff. I look forward to working for this organization and following this new "law," The Girl Scout Law.

The Girl Scout Law

I will do my best to be

honest and fair,

friendly and helpful,

considerate and caring,

courageous and strong, and

responsible for what I say and do,

and to

respect myself and others,

respect authority,

use resources wisely,

make the world a better place, and

be a sister to every Girl Scout.

Wish me luck on Monday as I begin something new and exciting!