On Werewolves and Boundaries (Part 1)

Hey GIRL (that’s you, our Grace In the Race Ladies):

Are you traveling again?

After six months of canceled trips and not really going anywhere outside of work and grocery stores (and by the way, my husband does both of those things for us), we decided to brave the new, masked world and venture out.

Last week, we spent five days in the expansive beauty of Amanda’s homeland: the U.P. For those not from around here, that’s the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

It was everything I needed. Majestic sunrises and sunsets, exquisite waterfalls, breathtaking vistas from mountain tops overlooking the first signs of autumn, and water views for days! Lake Superior is indeed superior. My soul was at ease.

Well, until it wasn’t…

If you’ve been following us over the months, you may recall that I had a reckoning a few months ago. Yeah, turns out I’m an introvert. If you’ve ever karaoke-ed with me, you might not be buying it, but believe me, it’s true.

I’ve done some reading and learned that being introverted doesn’t mean being shy; though it’s a common misconception. And I definitely wouldn’t consider myself shy. The thing that resonated with me in the reading was that being around other humans drains introverts of their energy.

The good news is that it’s not instant (or constant, thank God!). We mix. We mingle. We may even karaoke from time to time. And then we go home, crawl into our proverbial cocoons and refuel – ALONE.

So fast-forward to my magical vacation… After having been more or less confined to our home for six months, I thought getting out of the house for a few days with my favorite people would be good for me – for all of us. And it was. What I didn’t anticipate was how I’d respond to being subjected to tight quarters with my crew on the coattails of quarantine.

The long car rides, the four of us packed into hotel rooms with all of our stuff… and we had a lot of stuff. (Going to the U.P. in the fall means packing for four seasons)… I felt suffocated.

Okay, perhaps that’s dramatic… It was more like being hangry. Do you ever get hangry? It’s when you reach the point of being so hungry that it makes you angry. It comes on fast, without warning, and there’s no escaping it once it hits.

I would be going along fine and then I’d suddenly reach my limit of “time spent (confined) with other humans” and my energy would plummet. And like being hangry, there was no turning back. My horns were out. I desperately needed to find solace – for everyone’s sake.

When I think about it, I picture the wolfman being exposed to the moonlight and trying to avoid its pull… are you getting a visual? It’s a miserable feeling and tremendously guilt-inducing. Furthermore, it’s difficult to explain to people who don’t experience it themselves. I get a lot of crazy looks…

Luckily, I have patient humans. Awareness has been key. That and the need for active communication. I’ve also found another important coping mechanism: BOUNDARIES! That’s what we’re going to explore today in Grace in all things… setting boundaries so you can tame your inner “werewolf”… it feels right as we head into the Halloween season.

Thank you for being here today. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and may it kick off an extraordinary week!

Love & Grace,

Rachel (& Amanda)

Co-founders of Grace in the Race, LLC