What are you holding on to — even when you know better?

I didn’t expect to be asking myself that question in my own kitchen. But there I was.

We’ve been making upgrades to our home for a couple of years now. Forest decided it was time to replace our cooktop. We chose induction over gas — no fumes, better air quality, a genuinely healthier choice. Forest had been convinced by Alton Brown, one of his favorite chefs and food educators, that induction was the way to go. So, we started testing our pans to see which ones would work.

Most passed. Except one.

That one.

The pan I’ve used to make caramel corn for over 40 years. Thousands of bags. Gifted to neighbors, family, friends — love given every Christmas. Yes, an aluminum pan, as it turns out. Totally incompatible with our new cooktop and, frankly, not a pan I should have been cooking with for years anyway. I even knew better!

I knew it was aluminum the moment I really looked at it. I just hadn’t really looked at it. Because every time I saw that pan, I didn’t see a pan. I saw the faces of people I love. I saw the joy of handing someone a bag of carmel corn I had made with my own hands. I saw the displays of carmel corn that made our home feel extra special – years of these memories!

I stood there and said out loud to myself: “Really? You can’t let go of a pan that isn’t even healthy?”

I know better. I teach better. And yet — I struggled.

That’s a comfort zone. Not the dramatic kind we talk about in transformation circles. The quiet kind. The one that lives in a kitchen cabinet and wears the face of something you love.

Here’s the thing about comfort zones I’ve come to understand after 36+ years of walking with people through change: they rarely feel like fear. They feel like home. They feel like identity. They feel like “this is just how I do things.” And stepping away from them can bring up grief that surprises you — even when you know the thing you’re holding isn’t good for you.

So, I’ll ask you what I had to ask myself: Is there something in your life — a habit, a food, a mindset, a way of coping — that you’re holding on to more for the memory than for the benefit? Not with judgment. Just with honesty.

The beautiful ending to my story? Forest found the perfect replacement pan. Same size, carbon steel, induction-ready — and far healthier. I will absolutely be making caramel corn for Christmas 2026. The memory didn’t have to die. It just needed a better vessel.

We’ve discovered so many benefits to the new cooktop. Is there a learning curve? Yes. Forest loves how it looks and performs. And I’m beyond grateful he loves to cook in this season of our lives. Stepping out of that old comfort zone turned out to be one of the easier decisions — once I finally made it.

That’s the thing about EASY. It doesn’t mean there’s no adjustment. It means the adjustment is worth it.

Ready for a step forward? Join us for our Weekly Discover Calls on Thursdays, 5-5:30 p.m. MT. Love how people are discovering how to break out of comfort zones as they listen to the ‘discoveries’ of others.

Bring your curiosity, a friend, and join us!

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