Do It Scared

     It was a very busy weekend, full of facing fears, or at least anxiety-inducing situations and I did it.  I pushed through, reminding myself  Do It Scared and I Can Do Hard Things, and I had a wonderful time!

     Friday night, I was going downtown to a couple of friends' art exhibit reception.  Going downtown always causes me anxiety because I never know which way the streets go (they used to be one way only but I think that's been updated) and trying to find parking, and paying for parking.  I never remember when is the free time and when you have to pay.  Plus, the event started at 5:00pm, which is never a time I want to drive downtown! 

    I got there early, found street parking, and managed to get parallel parked. I don't have a backup camera, plus I have a hitch extender with a bike rack so gauging distance in my boxy car is a challenge.  I discovered I parked way too close to the front of the space so I got back into my car & evened it out.  Then I pulled the parking app up on my phone & entered my zone & credit card.  "Cannot process transition, try again later"  Okay, maybe it's the free time, but Friday afternoon/evening??  That seems weird.  I wandered around, watching butterflies & hummingbird moths feasting on some wonderful-smelling lilac then found a place to sit & do some sketching.  I kept thinking about the parking, so I tried the transaction again, with the same message.  I used some watercolor to capture a little bush & tree next to a rock fountain some mourning doves were drinking from.  Back to thinking about the car, I tried a few more times, the same message.  Then I tried a different card.  $3.00 parking transaction complete.   I checked to make sure my car hadn't been towed or booted in the time that had lapsed  (because of anxiety) and I made my way to the area where the reception was.  I forgot to bring a water bottle & I was getting thirsty from sitting outside for an hour.  I forgot that there is an area with chairs & tables at the entrance to the gardens. I wish I had spent my hour in there, with air conditioning!  

    My artist friends showed up, and there were sandwiches, drinks, crackers & cheese, and cookies to snack on as we chatted & I looked at their artwork.  I know my friends are talented but I'm always humbled that I'm friends with them. I feel like a slacker when it comes to art when I'm with them!  After an hour when my parking timer was up, I said my goodbyes and headed out.

    Saturday morning, the 1st cycling event of the year!  I was more excited than anxious about the ride.  I hadn't ridden the route or in this event before but I ran the 5k portion 10 & 15 years ago. Man I'm old I'm glad I switched from the 30-mile to the 10-mile event. There were enough hills that the 10-mile was a challenge but I wish I was riding with my friends in the 30-mile event.  Next time I'll ride the 'middle' event route and not the shortest one. 

    Sunday afternoon, back sort of downtown to meet a small group of my artist friends for book club, including one that had the reception Friday.  I had been to this area before but I wasn't driving and I wasn't sure exactly how to get there (hurray for GPS)  Our book club time was as the cafe was opening so parking wasn't bad & the carrot cake was amazing.  I'm going to have to go back and try some of their other desserts & coffees.  I was able to relax and talk about art and life with my closest friends which was a great way to end the weekend. 

    Tonight is my normal bike ride and I'm looking forward to it. I'm sure I'll have a touch of anxiety before, but learning to reframe that into excitement, especially when it's something I do regularly.