Habits are comforting. You do something a certain way, every time, that works. No surprises. You know what to do and, for the most part, how it will turn out.
This is especially true for me when I take my walks around the neighborhood. I have a certain route that I always follow, always facing traffic, always past the same houses. It’s never boring, because I always notice new details that vary with the weather and season.
But sometimes, it’s good to shake things up. On Monday, I set out on a beautiful sunny afternoon, taking a break after lunch and before my next Zoom call, up the street per usual. Except there was a big truck at the top of the street and bunch of landscapers swooshing around dirt with those obnoxious leaf blowers. Supposedly they were cleaning up, but it looked like a small dust storm.
So, I turned around and walked the other way. This turned into reverse engineering my habitual neighborhood stroll, and I realized that I was a bit confused. Even as I’ve walked this route many times, I rely on familiar visual points of reference going in only one direction as I let my mind wander. Reverse the process, and everything looks different. Where do I turn? Am I on the right street?
It was actually quite surprising. And a good way to wake up my brain.
Habits are comforting. But they’re also confining.
Evelyn Herwitz blogs weekly about living fully with chronic disease, the inside of baseballs, turtles and frogs, J.S. Bach, the meaning of life and whatever else she happens to be thinking about at livingwithscleroderma.com. Please view Privacy Policy here.
Image: Wilhelm Gunkel
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