Comfortable with discomfort
After seven days in Japan, we feel like we have crossed a threshold of ability to navigate and be with our experience.
The first few days challenged us in so many ways. Confusion. Questions. Uncertainty. Getting lost.
I cherish this experience for these very things. There was no bandwidth for much else but to get around. To figure out the very efficient but extremely complicated train network. To buy food, when most of it was mysterious. And for a vegetarian, very difficult.
Yet the practice of being immersed in discomfort is a worthy one. Deeply humbling. Making many mistakes. Needing to let go of the sense of knowing much at all.
Both of us feel a little chuffed that we have crossed into the region of not knowing much but also knowing the basics. There is a relaxation that was not present for the first week.
We learned more about each other through this unique experience. Both of us intelligent and capable in so many areas, yet utterly out of our depth here. Any stand of certainty, a risky move, likely to be wrong. So better not to be certain about anything.
To be comfortable with discomfort is a critical practice, especially for people like me who work as a subject matter expert.
It reminds me of the possible experiences of people I work with. And as such, makes me a better, more patient and compassionate teacher.
Photo Taken November 16th 2023
