Learning to Stay

While reading a book (by Debra Lynne Katz) today, I realized how often I back away when something even hints at becoming uncomfortable.  I think one of the reasons I barely dated for most of high school and the first part of college was that I immediately saw imperfections in people and translated them as being an uncomfortable situation (I was afraid I would have to break it off, so I just never started it).  But often in life we must go through uncomfortable moments to achieve our ultimate goals.  We have to be the new one in the club or launch out and try something new or simply go through the discomfort of staying with something during the rough parts (relationships, hobbies, spirituality, etc.).  The beauty of a spiritual practice like meditation or visualization is that it teaches you to keep returning to it and to stay, even if it brings up unpleasant feelings.  We must work through these unpleasant times in order to become stronger, indeed, to become our best selves.  What if we faced life knowing that uncomfortable situations will arise, but resolved ourselves to take the bull by the horns and stay with it rather than fleeing?  Imagine what our lives might be like!  Of course, there is a difference between discomfort and knowing a situation should not be part of one's life (this could be a whole post in itself).  But staying instead of leaving when things make you uncomfortable and discovering why this discomfort arises and how it can be resolved, I can see this making us stronger, more self-aware people.