Chicken Soup for the Soul has just released its latest edition, Step Outside Your Comfort Zone. I am overjoyed it includes my story, In Over My Head, of overcoming my fear of deep water to become a certified scuba diver—at the age of 39.

But, that is insignificant compared to what people have done. What a leap of faith, and for love,  for my mother to marry a Canadian soldier.

Selma was raised in Amsterdam and was working in an office before the war made it impossible. A struggling farm in 1946 Upper Mills, NB was certainly out of her comfort zone.

When I have stepped out of my comfort zone, it has been insignificant compared to my cousin, Mary, who was born less than 6 months after me. Cerebral Palsy slowed her down physically but, from an early age, she stepped out of her comfort zone with a bravery I could not imagine—the Shriners’ Hospital in Montreal, operations, the polio clinic in Fredericton. Yes, they were essential, but the calm way she faced them is what I remember, and how she made friends wherever she went.

Mary was independent from an early age and just stepping out of her comfort zone was not enough. She pushed against barriers and stereotypes all her life, attending Teacher college while dealing with health issues and being a wife and mother. She would have been an amazing teacher, if she had lived long enough. For Mary, it was the journey.

Technology  broadens the world view. I admire those who choose to move out of their comfort zones for personal reasons or their family’s future, but my heart is with those who are violently shoved out of their comfort zone.

My achievement is small and I am  fortunate.  I can choose to step out of my comfort zone or stay comfortable where I am. War and natural disasters are ripping away comfort zones every day, leaving few options for the victims to create new ones.

I am thankful for where I live, and especially thankful this week leading up to Remembrance Day.