Life as a Goldfish

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In my post ‘Life begins out of my comfort zone‘, I ended with the following –

images5FY7ICW1I will leave the home comfort zone as the current home is being sold.  I will leave my set ways, my current habits and start anew.  I will do this: but I will admit I have some uncertainty and some fear.  But then again if I do not try my life will not begin again.  The time is ticking, am I ready?  The current home is selling, am I ready?  The decision has been made, am I ready?

Life begins out of my comfort zone, am I ready?

In today’s post, I start with the following –

Not long ago, I read a post titled ‘Are you a goldfish’ on the blog theutopiauniverse.  Please go over and visit Brooke’s site as there are a great many interesting and inspirational posts there.

That post, I connected with and felt it applied to me and my life.  That post is about us living in a goldfish bowl doing the same thing and not pushing ourselves to do something different.  I am leaving my goldfish bowl to venture out into uncharted waters to explore the unknown.  What will I encounter and will I be fearful to what l find in those waters?  Will I be like Ishmael from the book Moby Dick who believes he has signed up for a routine commission only to find a tragic ending?  Or will I be like Dory from the movie Finding Nemo and speak whale and find a happy ending, find my way back home safely, wherever it may be?

images1UR7MPUOthenextweb.com article ‘Why leaving your comfort zone can be so rewarding’ includes the following –

So, why should we push ourselves outside of our comfort zone from time to time?

You can achieve more

You’ll lead a more fulfilled life

You’ll deal with change better

You’ll be more creative

In my post I wrote last year ‘The Home Comfort Zone‘, I concluded with the following –

My comfort zone that is my current home is holding me back from living and growing – soon, I believe the moving from my comfort zone will take place!

In today’s post I conclude with the summary of a book I read as a child –

From Wikipedia.org ‘A Fish Out Of Water’ –

The story is about a boy who buys a fish, named Otto, from a pet store. The store owner, Mr. Carp, gives the boy instructions on how to care for the fish, including strict feeding instructions: “Never feed him a lot. Never more than a spot! Or something may happen.

Image2

Image Provided by: Wikipedia.org

You never know what.” When the boy disobeys these instructions out of compassion for his new pet, Otto begins to outgrow his fishbowl. This leads the boy to move him into lots of vases and a bathtub until he floods the house.

The boy requests help from a police officer and the fire department, who help him take Otto down to the local pool. There, they drop the fish in, causing it to expand to the size of the pool and scare off all of the swimmers. Unsure of what to do, the boy calls Mr. Carp. He is not surprised as boys always ignore his feeding instructions. When Mr. Carp arrives, he dives into the pool and pulls Otto below. Eventually, he emerges with the fish, back to its normal size. He refuses to say how he did it but tells the boy to never overfeed Otto again, and the boy takes his advice to heart.

What is the meaning of this story?  Don’t feed a fish too much food?  Or maybe as we grow; leaving the fishbowl into a large vase or bathtub or even a large swimming pool can be a good thing, right?

41 thoughts on “Life as a Goldfish”

  5. For me, it is the fear of the unknown, but on the other hand, if I don’t try, I will never know. I also know how warm and comfy it is in my comfort zone 🙂 . I also know nothing ventured, nothing gained … but the crux of the matter is, we need to live each day to the fullest as best we can.

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  7. I love this book. Mr Otto, right? I think the book is about finding the middle. You are both being very thoughtful about plan B. Thats why its plan B. And of course you know there are still 24 letters left if you try plan B and its not quite right. 😍

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  10. Life is too short not to make the changes you really want. We moved to Egypt in our 40s and then US a few years later. Sometimes I wonder if we did the right thing but I have no regrets and am glad we did something brave.

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  11. Dear Terry , you wrote this one for me 😉
    Well , of course Not , But it sure feels that way as it rings so true to me . Trying to keep in and clinging to my comfort zone has only made it smaller and smaller . Not a good way to live 😦
    So spread your wings and fly and inspire this Turtle to gain some courage and swim farther 🙂
    Turtle Hugs ❤

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    • Oh turtle, I certainly will try to be an example for you! It will be tough for me as I am similar to you in that I have made my comfort zone smaller and smaller also. But the time is coming for changes! 🙂

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  12. Great post, Terry! In February a group of filmmakers hung a chalkboard in Brooklyn with the instructions, “Write Your Biggest Regret.” Everyday New Yorkers passed by and picked up a piece of chalk and revealed themselves; the majority of regrets centered around not following your dreams. Good for you for following your dreams! Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Below is a link to the video…

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  15. Oh my friend, lets talk whale and make home wherever we lay down to sleep at night by the love of our lives…..I am all for that…..where ever my Liebling is….that’s home…and I love to talk whale!!!! Your only a fish out of water if you let yourself feel that way…..xxkat

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  16. Comfort zone is a comfortable place, so true. But the rewards reaped for pushing yourself out of it are often worth it. Comfort zone usually becomes complacency, at least in my case. The nice thing is you have a wonderful partner to dive into new things with. Always is better when you have someone to share the adventure with. 🙂 Good luck!

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    • I agree with you Athena, I have certainly become complacent! I have some fear, but I also am eager to move out of my comfort zone and see what more I have to experience. I always appreciate your comments – have a wonderful and safe weekend. 🙂

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