Getting out of your normal routine

Have you ever done something and it's just out of your normal routine? It catches you by surprise. It makes you think. Sometimes it messes you up. Sometimes it doesn't. And sometimes, you think "Why haven't I done that before?".

We, as Americans, are creatures of habits. We typically wake up at the same times, eat the same meals, hang out with the same people, do the same things, go to bed in the same bed. Comfort, familiarity. Nothing wrong with that, right?

But what if you got out of your normal routine? 


Would that be bad? 

I had that happen several times in the past week. Some little things. Some bigger things. I was at the sink one day taking grapes off the vine to rinse. Habit, just taking them off gently one at a time and putting them in the colander, thinking while I do it. In a bowl next to the grapes bag was cherry tomatoes from a sweet friend's garden. [in case you are wondering, home-grown tomatoes are the best gift you can give me] Well, I was thinking about those ripe cherry tomatoes and popped one in my mouth. I did this without thinking and while my hands were on the grapes. My mind expected a grape, but as it popped in my mouth, it was a juicy tomato. I loved it. I had another. And then I stood there thinking - I was expecting to taste a grape and was pleasantly surprised when it was a tomato. Just a little out of the normal.

When it comes to my training, I am pretty strict. I have a weekly schedule and I have workouts written down according to my work schedule. I rarely miss a workout. But this week, I did. I am putting in some mileage on my swim workouts in addition to adding two bike rides a week. By mid-week, I was tired and facing another hard swim workout. My body was just exhausted. I was already to go for my lunch-time swim, when my teenage son came to me. He was bored. And I was leaving for another workout. Something in his eyes and I put my workout bag down and went out swimming with him. I spent the next hour playing frisbee - and it's competitive frisbee with a 13-year old boy - and then having lap races with him. I was scheduled for 48 laps that day - 3/4 mile - but I spent the time moving the whole time and we raced about 20 laps that day. But when it was over, I wasn't exhausted anymore. I was refreshed. And my son was happy so it was worth missing my scheduled workout. Just a little out of the normal.

My friend Irene, or as I call her, "bully" starts bugging me, I mean texting me, on Thursday about Saturday's weekly bike ride. She is a maniac. In a good way. We talked about how hot it was, how we wish we could get started earlier on the group ride. It typically starts at 8:30 am, but it is run by guys, so we usually leave at 8:45 am [sorry, guys, but if girls ran it, we'd start at 8:30 am sharp]. By the time we finish 2 hours later, it is hot and humid. So, as bully can only do, she devised a different plan. We'd meet earlier and her husband, "animal" [I love pet names] would scout out a ride for us. Maybe a little more than the normal 30+ that we do. No problem I said. Until it was 40+. That 40+ number threw me a little. Now bully has already talked me into several rides that I didn't think I could do, but I did them, so I put my trust in her. I got up early on Saturday and did the ride. It was more than 40, 49 to be exact. But it was an awesome ride, took me farther than I thought I could go, beautiful scenery, different experiences. Just a little out of the normal.

What could do this week to get just a little out of the normal? 


Would it be worth it?

YES! Yes, it would be. Don't be afraid of change. Eat some cherry tomatoes, play with your son, take a bike ride you don't think you can. Do something different. It's good to get out of your normal routine. It truly is.

So will you?