Switching Up Routines

There have many moments this weekend that I could have missed if I were looking down at my phone. I’ve written about this before, but I think it bears mentioning again. I saw two French bulldogs that were smiling with their heads poking out of the back window of their mom’s car. I discovered huge, oversized rubber ducks that were floating in a reflection pool and heard shrieks of delight that came from little kids who were on a walk with their parents. I noticed a sweet couple who offered to take a family picture for a group that was trying to take a selfie. And as always, I marveled at flowers especially sunflowers who were almost other worldly in how they reached so high into the clear blue sky.

My husband sent me something this week about the importance of novelty in our lives. Some of us experience a very routine-oriented day that makes each day feel like the last. The same breakfast, commute, errands schedule and so forth. People like me thrive on routine because it lowers the mental bandwidth needed; this allows us to focus on our brains more fully on things that take a lot out of us. Things like work. But in post he showed me, it talked about how when we don’t switch things up a bit from time to time, the days start running together. Each day looks much like the last, and it starts to feel like life is passing us by.

And I don’t think that’s what any of us want for ourselves or those we care about most. We want to live fully in the beauty of the present moment, so we can grasp with true appreciation and delight all of the little wonders each day brings.

So, as we head into this week, what’s one little switch up that you could make? Perhaps it’s grabbing coffee from a different spot or driving a different route to work. Maybe it’s stepping outside to eat the lunch you packed or choosing to play a game with loved ones instead of doom scrolling on your phone for an hour.

Whatever it is for you, I hope you enjoy an opportunity to fully grasp the good that exists in every day. And when you can’t find it, maybe start by simply being the good for others.