Do you ever get that urge to DO something? Of course you do, you're human.

I have been experiencing that feeling on a daily basis for a while. I'm in a city that's still new to me and I feel like I haven't done anything here. Ever since I moved I've been gobbling up adventure books like Wild, A Walk in the Woods, and The Happiness of Pursuit, all of which pinch that nerve to get up and go even more. But I haven't gone anywhere or really done much of anything.

I've heard a lot of people say that the world is broken down into doers and watchers, and I've desperately wanted to avoid being just a watcher. But then I think, what's really so wrong with watching? You won't get tired, your legs won't hurt, and I've got a strong enough imagination that I can pretty much tell you what bungee jumping would feel like to me.

While all this is true, however, you won't actually know. You won't stand in top of any mountains and watch the changing colors of the sunset. You won't feel how hot the Saharan sun really is. And you won't really know what bungee jumping does to the butterflies in your stomach.

So, how worth it is it for you to find out?

Everyone will have a different answer. See, I don't think the world really is broken down into doers and watchers. I think everyone has their comfort levels and everyone does push them. An astronaut does not have the same comfort zone as, say, a bank teller. That doesn't mean that our bank teller isn't pushing their limits by going on a cross-country road trip. That doesn't make the astronaut a doer and the teller a watcher. Everyone is a doer in their own right.

I happen to be a person who likes to know (more or less) what I'm getting into when I do something new. The problem with this, however, is that I tend to feel like I'm missing out if I want to see something done before I do it. I'll clue you in to what made me start to think about this today. I have thought about it many times, but this is what spurred it today.

The Spartan Race. It's a run (5K, 10K, half-marathon), interspersed with really challenging obstacles. If you fail any of the challenges the punishment is that you have to do 30 burpees. In the 5K there are about 20 obstacles so that could add up to a ton of burpees! I didn't really have much interest in it, it seemed fun but a bit too challenging for me - especially this out of shape. But my boyfriend signed up for it and I went to watch today. Now I want to do it. I believe this is mostly because I saw it first and I now determine that I could in fact do it. I would have been a nervous wreck if I had signed up for it not knowing what it would be like. That's my particular comfort zone.

Yes, I was very literally a watcher today. But I do not believe that makes me a watcher. To me, a watcher would have gotten total satisfaction from just watching. They would feel no urge to do it themselves, nor would it maybe even occur to them. I want to do it now, and I'm kind of sad that I'll have to wait another year to do it, but I will kick so much ass then, because I know what to expect.

That urge to do something has been stirred, but I haven't actually done anything today. Maybe that's why I decided to write this, so I can do something about it, even if it's just write. I enjoy writing and I'll get some satisfaction out of writing this. So I consider myself a doer today, not just a watcher. And I know I will do even more soon.

Or maybe I'm just trying to make myself feel better about missing out and on something. Regardless of why, though, I like to push my comfort zone slowly, and I don't think I should have to feel badly about it.