I’ve always felt New Year’s resolutions were the perfect place to start thinking about expanding one’s horizons.
Personally, I don’t see the point in sticking with what makes me ‘comfortable’; that is not how a person grows.
I believe that experiencing hardship or learning to navigate a potentially ‘uncomfortable’ situation can teach you invaluable lessons.
Case in point, last week I drove across the western half of the United States and celebrated Christmas in California — a 5,000-kilometre adventure I’d never attempted before.
I knew I was probably going to run into crappy weather in the mountains on my return, whether that meant I crossed back into Canada from either Montana or Washington, but the point is I’d never done that before.
I’m also pleased I made it through the Rockies and back to my apartment in one piece.
But that’s neither here nor there.
While the above is an extreme example of stepping outside a person’s comfort zone, my point is that doing these types of things should be encouraged.
Whether you’re trying a new type of food for the first time, getting over a deep-rooted paranoia, or daring yourself to be more open to ‘new’ and ‘different’, I give you kudos.
And that’s a roundabout way for me to plug an upcoming musical performance in a genre not entirely popular around here: Michael Kaeshammer and jazz.
If you’ve never heard about Michael, I would encourage you to look him up.
If you’re a Barrhead Arts Council ticket holder, I know as well as you do that you’re in for a real treat.
Kaeshammer has been nominated seven times for Juno Awards and he’s won twice.
Considering the calibre of competition in his chosen genre, it’s a pretty decent feat for a career that has spanned two-and-a-half decades.
He’s performing in the drama theatre at Barrhead Composite High School Jan. 11.
If you’re interested in attending, I would call Comfort Corner first because I’m reasonably sure season tickets sold pretty quickly this time around.