The Noble Pagan Forums - Different is Good

Different is Good.
Yes as an open minded individual I am sure you are well aware of that small sentence. Are you aware of how often you ACTUALLY apply it though?
Believe it or not, it is probably not as often as you would like to think.
What?! How could I say something like that about your ability to be open to new things?
Because like most people, I was the same way. Thinking that I was "open minded" and "okay with change" when in reality there were so many things I didna realize I was missing out on because I would not give them a chance.

Here is a good example.
Movies. If I saw a movie trailer that just was not MY sort of thing then I would mentally check it off the radar for entertainment. It wasn't until I was over at a friend's house and she popped in one of those movies. I saw what it was and remembered how retarded the trailer had looked to me and was mildly horrified that I would have to sit through 2 hours of visual fodder.
Horrified indeed I became, though not at the movie. At myself. The movie itself was actually quite funny and I would have never taken the time out to see it because the trailer for it was so damn hokey.
So I got to thinking to myself "What other things have I missed by being a close minded snob?"
Because of that experience I am more likely to take interest in movies that initially would never had made it to my radar, and in doing so I have left a door open to experience new things.

So what are you looking past or missing without realizing it?
A new restaurant? A new activity? New music? New people?

When life presents you with an opportunity that is somewhat outside your comfort zone, take a moment to breathe and say to yourself "Different is Good" because the worst that could happen is that you really don't like what is presented right? No. The worst is that you could have ended up skipping out on an enriching experience by not even giving it a fair try.

Come on people. Say it with me. Different is Good.

C.S.

Well, ever since my father got diagnosed with prostate cancer, and was told by two of his doctors that pants are unhealthy for your prostate, I have become very closed minded to the idea of wearing pants... I have more kilts than any other guy I know.



I'm a sexy beast.

Ok, this part of your post completely resonated with me. I'm not really one of those "verbal vomit" type people who jump into threads with waaaay too much info about themselves (you know the kind)but here goes....

Back in early '02 I was a stay-at-home-mom (can I just say "SAHM"? Typing all those hyphens really sucks). Anyway, I woke up one morning (it was a Tuesday, I believe) and realized that my life completely and utterly sucked. Big. Time. Sucked. I won't go into why, just know it Sucked. Big. Time. But what would I do about it? I had no job, had been out of the working world for almost 6 years and had 2 small children. Well kids, here's what I did. I got a job. A really shitty job actually, but a job nonetheless. Got an apartment. A really shitty apartment, but an apartment nonetheless. It was only after I had secured those 2 fundamentals did I leave Mr.Wrong. Yup, picked up my kids and my belongings and moved out.

Turns out, the best decision of my entire life was taking the shitty job and the shitty apartment. You see, that shitty job opened a door for me to have a pretty dang great job, which meant I could afford a pretty dang nice house. Not too shabby, eh? To boot, I met someone who was Mr. Right, as opposed to Mr.RightNow. I've been more than happily married to him for 5 years this past Oct 9.

So you are absolutely correct, CS, when you say "different is good". I'll grant you it's not about watching a movie you thought would bite the big one, sometimes it's much, much, MUCH more than that.

And even better.

Oh amen on that!
I totally relate!
Different is Good was my mantra when I was dating my husband because he was so unlike anyone I had dated before. He was sweet, kind, cooked, did poetry, liked to bowl, was great with my kids.....it was almost like having that eunuch best guy friend ya know? Aside from all the Mr. Rightness what I had to get used to was his fond love of video games ( okay I like to game too but DDR??? -Dance Dance Revolution-....okay different is good) and his anime ( "do you own any um...real movies?")
Different is Good served me well (and still does) and we have been happily married for 7 years. And in those years I have had fun learning new things that were never originally in what I thought of as my scope.

C.S.

Stepping out of a comfort zone can be extremely rewarding, as you said earlier.

I think it falls under the heading of "you never know till you try". It's so cool that I found your thread....I was thinking of this just the other day. Had I stayed in my "comfort zone" (such as it was), I wouldn't know all the wonderful turns that my life has taken over the past 7 years.

**passing around sangria as a toast and thank you to CS**

Oh thank you!
I'm glad you liked it.
*accepts da sangria*
*hands out some funny shaped snacks to go with*
Don't worry. They are mystery snacks.....mysterious but always good and guaranteed to go with anything.



C.S.

I'm cool with mystery snacks...remember, we have already touched on the "experimental" stuff.

Snacks are your friend. Just sayin'.

Snacks are everyones friends.
Wait that could lead to a very bad bumper sticker...
"Friends don't let friends eat friends"
Hmmmmm........

C.S.

Must.......resist.........commenting............

ROFL!!!

You show great restraint grasshoppah!

Yeah it was na until AFTER I posted it, did I see it's potential to go wrong very quickly !

C.S.