Being in a class, I wasn’t the only person who had to present a fear project; everyone did. Out of everyone in the class, I had the strongest reaction to Charles’s project. He pulled three volunteers out into the hallway without telling them what they’d signed up for. He subsequently blinded them, brought them into the room one at a time, and fed them some awful (to me) food.
You could call me a finicky eater; I call myself an adaptive eater. Anywhere I go, I will always find something to eat (I eat practically 24/7). But that doesn’t mean I like trying new food…especially when I have no idea what I’m trying. So, I’m very happy I didn’t volunteer.
There was one moment where something clicked for me. Mike (one of the volunteers) said, after chewing some presumably awful thing, (and I’m paraphrasing here) “those weren’t as bad as everyone says they are.”
I have always been told that I’m missing so many wonderful things by not trying new foods that much. I stay very much in my comfort zone when it comes to food. Charles’s project affected me because it made me see that I could be missing out on new things if I keep my guard up. That does not mean that I’m going to run out and eat a bunch of anchovies and jumbo olives, but that does mean that I will pay closer attention to what I’m doing. Am I staying in my comfort zone because I know it’s safe? Why? What would happen if I stepped out of my comfort zone? What are those possibilities?
Charles’s fear project basically summed up quite a lot of the lessons I learned in Seeing Sideways.
However, the project and the laughter and lessons it held left me feeling extremely nervous about my own project, especially in retrospect. My project wasn’t fun. It wasn’t going to challenge others physically. It was just going to get them thinking. No one would probably listen, and I felt bad bringing the mood down. I honestly didn’t want to present. But, I am still happy he did his project, and I’m happy I was able to take something away from it.
Tilting Sideways 