“Coming out of your comfort zone”— Now, I know what that actually means.

I have watched uncountable Hollywood movies in past and I will watch many in days to come. Sorry! I am not going to rant about how the western movies are so good and amazing compared to ours. Fortunately or unfortunately, can’t decide which, but they are for so many reasons.

So many things that I had learned about western culture are almost all from movies. From kissing in public (which is a taboo out here and very much unacceptable) to simple as eating dinner (bread, salad, wine and what — an odd combination of food for us to eat before we sleep). And there are so many other things I can go on and on (actually, I am lazy to list them here). One thing that always amazed me was asking for a lift from a total stranger. And I had never asked for it.

Why? You ask. Because, first of all, it only happens in movies. Jokes apart, we don’t have the habit of asking for one here. Yes, people occasionally do ask for it but not always. That’s what I think. And since I grew in such environment and to stack on it, I feel very uncomfortable with a stranger. Even if I had to talk with them.

But the times have changed. My friends and work have taught me many lessons to learn about and work on my own skills and talents that were hidden somewhere inside me. And I have been reading many articles of wonderful people such as Tobias van Schneider in Medium. You know, learning new things from others’ point of view helps. I think I have digressed.

So coming back to where I was. Today, in the evening, I had a meeting with a friend to talk about work stuff. We had fun while discussing the work stuff. So it was already 7:30 PM and thanks to our long ongoing blockade and so many other reasons, there were no local vehicles to take us to our destinations. So before we said goodbyes to each other, he suggested me to ask for a lift. I told him that I would not let him down. Then we went our separate ways.

After walking for a while, I reached a bus stop and stood there waiting. Not for a bus or any other local transportation. I waited there for motorbikes with no pillion riders in the back of those bikes. For about 5 minutes, I could not raise my hand and make a fist with my thumb staring the dark sky above. I was already feeling uncomfortable with the thought of asking for help with a total stranger. I collected all my guts, that sounds awful, but finally, I raised my hand. After a few failures, one bike stopped. I ran and asked if he could drop me off on the way he was heading to. He agreed and that’s how I got my life’s first lift by a stranger. I thanked him after he dropped me off.

After that, I was confident and I was not shy anymore to ask for a lift as I was still far away from my home. I waited and without any hesitation, I started to raise my hand. Not all of the people are helpful but we will always find one in the crowd who are more than happy to help us. So I got my ride to my destination. And unlike my first lift, we chatted and exchanged words about our work.

It felt good coming out of my comfort zone. The particular events of today have certainly made a change in my life and the way I think. So, now, I am thinking of doing things that I had never ever dared to do. I am not making a list of to-dos but I will try my best not letting go of such interesting opportunities that would come my way.