Comfort Zone

"Corpus omne perseverare in statu suo quiescendi..."
-- Isaac Newton
(Every body persists in its state of being at rest...)

Three events recently bumped into me:

The New York Times published an article
on aging and the brain,
+
My daughter studied Newton's first law,
in which an object will stay at rest (or in motion)
until acted upon by an outside force.
+
A vibrant friend encouraged
public display of my musings.
=
Something ties them all together: Quoth The Times,
"...what scientists say best keeps a brain in tune:
get out of the comfort zone to push and nourish your brain."

I always try to fix things,
smooth the ways,
optimize,
make things easier for everyone.

So what happens if I achieve it?

I end up with habits,
doing things by rote and rhythm,
settling into a comfortable lull
in the land of the lotus eaters.
-->
So, all-righty then!
Here I am.
Outside my comfort zone.
Hungry brain reporting for nourishment.

--WF

p.s.
Story problem for extra credit:
If all three events crashed into me simultaneously,
per Sir Isaac's second law, what on earth is
my equal and opposite reaction?