For a good long while lately, I was under a mistaken impression. That is, the last relationship I was in left me with a feeling that I was too shy or cautious to get out and try new things or travel. I won't say that the negative shift was entirely the other person's fault, it always takes two to tango, but I will acknowledge that they certainly hammered it home with comments and actions.

But then something clicked a little while ago. I remembered that nigh every time I go into a store or restaurant, I make a point of trying something new - whether it's a strange fruit, a green drink, or a foreign movie with a cute title that I know nothing about. Most every time I go to a restaurant or coffee shop I try a new dish or drink. I love going to random workshops, seminars, and concerts, just to learn new things and meet new people. And I've been having conversations every other day about trips everywhere from the next city over to Europe (Brittany, N. Italy, and London, my feet will trod upon thee...). It's not like I ever really stopped doing most of those things; just, my perception of them had become skewed. So it's kind of a relief, and kind of a...center'ing feeling to remember that; no, I was never so hesitant and reclusive as I had come to think.