I’ll preface by saying that this is not a big chance. And most people probably wouldn’t even see it as taking a chance!
But for me, it was.
The chance in question: getting a cat.
I did not grow up in a house with animals, aside from a few fish, and a hamster who was with us for a short stint.
So, the idea of having an animal walking around my house was a little bit terrifying to me. It felt like so many unknowns! and such a commitment.
I finally said yes, purely out of love for my children, and I was nervous. Very nervous.
However, cat ownership has turned out to be so much less problematic than I imagined it would be, and it has brought even more joy to my kids than I imagined it would.
And I personally enjoy owning a cat far more than I imagined I would.
So basically I don’t regret taking this chance at all.
I am not a cat person, and my experience with them has been that the enjoyability of having one is highly dependent on the individual cat. So I think you lucked out. 🙂
We took kind of a big chance moving here to cattle country, USA,, where we knew no one and had no experience with the lifestyle. Definitely don’t regret it, though.
I was tired of being a poor nursing student so I joined the Army. I received a stipend for my last year of school. I served 2 years which was a fantastic experience. My faith was greatly strengthened. It put me in great financial shape. I continued my education on the GI Bill. And I love the discounts I get at stores.
Now, that’s a pretty big, amazing one, Nancy! Thank you!
About three years ago we let our young adult daughter adopt a cat while she was still living with us. It was a rescue and turned out to be a sweet cat. Mostly she kept it in her upstairs domain (half story on a small house so two rooms and a bathroom). She moved out a few month later so now we just visit our grandkitty. It is a cat with a lot of personality and she adores him.
A chance I took was that during Covid Stay Home life I invited acquaintances to join me on walks. I have a couple people that I walk with regularly now and I had not walked with them prior to Covid. At least one of the relationships has turned into a friendship that I think will endure.
Your cat experiences have been encouraging to me. My husband would like to get my oldest a cat for her upcoming birthday. I have no doubt that the kids would LOVE having a cat. I just need to gear myself up for it.
A chance I took 4 or 5 years ago was offering to help with my church’s VBS Kids Camp. My offer to help plan turned into being part of the 3-person leadership team and being in charge of supplies. It is a good fit since attention to detail is not a problem (I used to enjoy making outlines of textbook chapters in college) and I like spreadsheets and lists. It also gave me a way to serve during a time when I wasn’t very comfortable with kids older than my own. Bonus: I got to meet a lot of people that I might not have otherwise had the opportunity to get to know!
We were living in the suburbs 14 years ago and after many years of my husband working as an inner city police officer he started having some job stress. He suddenly announced, “let’s move to the mountains and get some land!” He’s not spontaneous so I knew he was serious. I just had our fourth boy (3months old). We found some land with a bigger house that needed a lot of work but has great potential. I took a chance but I never regretted it. Best decision ever. My husband ended up transferring to the country sheriff’s dept a couple years later after commuting. He loves every minute of taking care of the land, garden, and animals. And I’ve always wanted to live in the country. Our only regret is that we didn’t do it sooner. We say this ALL the time!
I recently took a chance by resigning from a job I loved due to being bullied/gaslighted by the senior management without another job to go to in the middle of a pandemic.
I got a new job in 3 days and after 2 weeks at my new company there is talk of a promotion to a higher paying and more fulfilling role.
I miss my old colleagues but I’m so proud of myself for being brave enough to take a chance and leave my previous employer.
Kristen, my experience is similar to yours. Several years ago, I ended up saying ‘yes’ to my daughter when she asked if we could take in a small rabbit who she knew was being neglected. I had almost no experience with rabbits and agreed rather impulsively-which is very out of character for me. I don’t know what came over me, but taking him in has been an unexpected delight for my children and me and we absolutely adore him. Gretchen Rubin says ‘choose the bigger life’ and while I don’t always take that advice I’m so glad I did this time.
I commented earlier this morning but it was awaiting moderation. I wonder what made it need that? It was about my taking a chance and making a move from the suburbs to the mountains. I’ll see if this goes through.
Getting married. I already had finished grad school, had an established career, owned my own home, and travelled all over the world by myself. People in my family married young and I always felt like that trapped the women into lesser versions of themselves, so I always told people I did not intend to get married. After we married, I did not tell friends or family for two years and at my insistence neither did my husband, since I figured it would not survive and I didn’t want any flak from anyone over a divorce. Married now for 37 years and have never regretted it.
We got a puppy recently and I am not a dog person at all. Husband and kids have been asking for years. I think the pandemic made me do it. Two months in and I’m still having hard time with it but your post gives me hope.
Oh, I bow to you! Zoe went through a phase for a few years where she really wanted a dog, and I just could not manage to say yes to that. A cat felt like a big step; a dog felt like an impossible step!
I hope you and the dog become friends. 🙂