I went to visit my Mom for her birthday and one of the things she wanted to do was to visit the Dana Point Cave. Now the first thing to mention is that this wasn’t the first time going to the cave. We actually tried going for Mother’s Day but the water tide was too high for us to safely enter the cave. The second and weird thing is that my Mom doesn’t like getting wet…for some reason I don’t know. So why come back again? Well my Mom likes caves…as long as she doesn’t get wet getting in. So she decided to try again. Here’s what happened.
First…Dana Point Cave (aka Pirate’s Cave)
I think it’s a rather fun little excursion to go to in Dana Point, CA. It’s relatively accessible to most people (you might get a little wet depending on the tide level). Just to set some expectations straight – it’s not super big and doesn’t contain mind blowing geological formations. You gotta hike roughly 0.6 miles to get there. Most of the trail is flat and rocky so I would highly suggest wearing tennis or hiking shoes. Here’s some more info about the cave!
So what happened this time?
We started our hike to the cave around 2PM, which was 2 hours earlier than when we started the first time. We thought that going earlier would mean a lower tide level or less water in the cave (turned out this was not the case).
My mom put on some waterproof sandals for hiking, which turned out to be a rather poor decision. Although the trail is mostly flat, it’s also really rocky. My mom ended up falling and sacrificing some skin to the hiking Gods. I asked her if she wanted to turn around but she said she was committed to entering the cave.
We made it to where we were the last time. At first glance, the tide level didn’t look that high.
What you don’t know is that the entrance to the cave is actually around the rock wall, which I try to indicate with a red line. When you get around it, that is where the cave entrance is and where our problem was. There was like a good 15-20 feet of water to walk through to get into the cave.
Initially, the water level didn’t look that deep to my Mom. So she was like in Chinese – “I’ve made it this far. I’m gonna try and go for it”. That was the first time I saw my mom step out of her comfort zone with ocean water. Legit like 4 steps in, the water was at her knee cap. She bailed quickly and climbed back out. If you’re at least 5′ 5″, the water level won’t be that deep to you. If you’re 5′ 2″ or 3″ like my Mom and can’t traverse the wall like the people you see in the picture, the water level can be deep for you.
After watching people walk through the water, I think my Mom felt a little more comfortable going in again. She didn’t really tell me anything – she just started. At first, the water was at her ankles, but maybe 10 feet in, the water was at her waist line. I was legit scared for her because I thought she would freeze up. Nope – she kept going. Eventually she made it. She yelled for me to come in. I showed off a little bit with my rock climbing skills by traversing along the cave. Needless to say, my Mom was quite ecstatic that we finally entered the cave.
A tidbit on stepping outside your comfort zone
“Step outside your comfort zone”. It’s one of those “it’s easy to say but not easy to do” type sayings. I’m starting to realize it’s hard to do because you are sacrificing a guaranteed outcome for a potentially less fruitful one. I’ve also realized that if you don’t know where you want to step into outside your comfort zone, this saying won’t make much sense to you.
For me, stepping outside your comfort zone looks like giving up my consistent weekend schedule for going somewhere I’ve never been to with people I’ve never met before; it’s giving up comfortability by asking a girl to dance when I have little to no dancing experience. The resistance I feel inside my mind and body when I try to step out is super strong. I can’t tell a single answer as to how I’ve overcome that resistance, but a question that helps me commit to that decision is “What if I did do this…?”.
I don’t regret the times I stepped outside of my comfort zone because those were the times where I’ve either learned the most. I’ve met some incredible people on those random trips to somewhere I’ve never been. I’ve danced with people who never judged my skills and taught me how to improve.
I still struggle with making decisions to step outside my comfort zone. The resistance is still there, but just like a water tide that tries to erode rock, the more you do it, the easier it is to break through the tough resistance.
Happy Birthday Mom. Way to push yourself. Keep at it 🙂
