Comfort Zone

I recently celebrated a really fun Indian festival called Holi. Think color,water,music, food and if you really want to go all out, you drink the extremely delicious and potent 'Bhang',a  milky drink containing..ahem..weed.

Any Indian kid growing up in India has got to have experienced this at least once. In the Bay area, Asha organized this event at Stanford, Palo Alto, with lots of color, water, music and Indian food. Check out the link

http://www.ashanet.org/stanford/events/holi2010/index.html

I went with a bunch of friends and had a great time. As expected, we all got separated once we entered, but that didn’t stop me from having fun with total strangers. Maybe it was the festive season, the great weather or the feeling of merriment that made me have some unbridled fun.

Or maybe it was the fact that I was colored up and felt liberated :) . When I think about it now,I am surprised at myself and the fact that I was comfortable in a strange surrounding with non familiar people. Most people are uncomfortable mingling with total strangers and letting their guard down unless there is some sort of social lubricant, usually alcohol. Having a drink makes it so much easier to blend with a strange crowd and have fun.

Once the color rubs off though, your guard is automatically back there and you go back to the familiar. But sometimes, you end up with something new – a new friendship, a new perspective, a new sense of confidence.

It’s kind of like having a one night stand. The general opinion is that, people tend to regret it once the effect of the alcohol wears off. However, there are cases, less known for sure, but there are cases, where you end up with something new by exploring into the unknown.

The point is, getting out of your skin and doing something new doesn’t always bite you. It’s easy to stick to what’s safe and not put yourself in a position to regret something, but taking risks is what makes the whole game exciting. And excitement shouldn’t be under rated. Being comfortable feels good and easy, but it also stops you from growing. Being comfortable makes you feel like the king of the small pool, but it also restricts you to just the pool. Getting out there into the ocean might make you more vulnerable to shark attacks, but also gives you the opportunity to experience something you didn't know existed.

If you need a little color or alcohol to be uninhibited, then by all means, go for it. Keyword being little. Walking piss drunk into a bar with color all over your face is not going to be a pleasant experience. But hey, it'll be something new :)

**Disclaimer: This article in no way promotes casual sex or one night stands!