Broaden your horizons

On the insistence of her family, and motivated by her guru, Meghana Acharya steps out of her comfort zone to discover herself

“A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.” —Gina Milicia

I love the warmth of the comfort zone I dwell in. However, I know I am missing out a lot on what’s outside it. Hesitantly but consciously, with the help of my guide and dear friend Megha Bajaj (national bestselling author and film script writer), I am working on breaking out of it, one step at a time.

Through this piece, I share about my attempts to walk out of fear and inhibitions. And doing it through Life Positive is a giant step towards it.

Scouting was a weekly activity my eleven-yearold son looked forward to. Whatever the season, Dvishan participated in and contributed to the sessions with great enthusiasm. One of the highlights was attending scout camps. Even in Britain’s harshest winters or summers, he hiked, did water sports, cooked, and slept comfortably in all terrains for over six years. Year after year, an invite was sent from the scouting organisation for family camps. Dvishan and my husband, Jayanth, urged me to join, but the very thought of camping gave me the shivers.

Stubbornly, I refused to break from the comfort of my room to sleep in cold tents. I imagined freezing my tail off and turning into a glacier. Why should I trade off my love for starched white linen in hotels to pitch a tent on wet ground? What if someone robbed us in the tent or a snake slithered in? Snakes are unheard of in the UK, but the question still arose in my mind.

The boys ribbed me no end about my abnormal imagination, but I wouldn’t budge. As much as I encouraged my son to team up with scouts from different counties, I thought it would be daunting to do campsite activities with other families. Being a homebody, it felt unnatural to say hello to strangers and build rafts with them.