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Health & Fitness

The Northfield I See: Fear and Growth

Reflecting on a recent lunch and conversation.

Recently I ate a delicious lunch of tamales with a diverse group of women. Some spoke English, some spoke Spanish, some were bilingual, some were longtime Northfielders and others, like me, had only been here for a few years.  We represented a variety of ages, levels of education, and occupations as well as the three biggest countries in North America.

The group was talking (as we often do) about food. Someone mentioned that the wonderful tamales we were eating were from , a local Mexican restaurant and grocery, and a lively discussion of Triunfo’s delectable dishes ensued (try their green salsa sometime, you will want a lifetime supply).

A member of the group — and longtime resident of Northfield — was asked if she’d ever been to El Triunfo. She replied that she had been scared to go there.

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We’ve all been afraid of something we didn’t understand or something we’d never seen before.  Fear is a common reaction to the unfamiliar, but it is often based on unexamined assumptions. I’m as guilty of assuming things as anyone. Assuming things is part of making sense of the world around us — but so is finding our assumptions to be incorrect and our fears unfounded.

When we come across something that’s unfamiliar we have two choices. We can stay in our comfort zone, held back by our assumptions, or we can confront our discomfort and experience something new.

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I think experiencing the unfamiliar is part of what makes life exciting. It might make us a little uncomfortable at first, but I’ve found the rewards to be well worth the temporary discomfort. When we put aside our assumptions, we make the unfamiliar, familiar. Whether our reward is a delicious meal, a new friend, or learning a few words in another language, the result is that we grow.

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