Jumping Out of the Rut

We all tend to fall into habits in our lives... ruts, if you will.  Perhaps we take the same route to work every day (I'm famous for this one).  We have leftovers every Thursday for dinner.  We order the same dish when we eat at our favorite restaurant.  We do the same thing over and over and before we know it, it's just routine, habit, a rut.

Every now and then we need something to shake up our world, just a little.  I've found the best weapon for battling the everyday, habitual ruts is... new people!  In October of last year I met a wonderful young woman who has helped turn my world upside down in many ways.  We have a lot of similarities, but she's different enough from me that I can appreciate new things she introduces me to.  I've reconnected with college friends who have helped me view life from different perspectives.  Earlier this month, I met someone who has exposed me to a genre of music that I never really listened to before.  He invited me to go to a concert with him, and I agreed not really knowing what I was getting myself into.  I'm still a touch nervous about it, but I'm determined to have a great time, regardless of the mosh pits and body surfing.  There is no fun in life if you can't break out of your routine once in a while and try something new.

Sometimes we fall into routines and don't fully realize how much of a rut we are in until something shakes us up and we can turn around and look at what we've been doing over the past few months or years.  Then we can take a step outside of ourselves and say, "Ah, yes... there's the rut, right there."  I've realized that I had fallen deep into a rut.  Self-awareness is one of the big steps in preventative maintenance, so acknowledging that I want to move out of my comfort zone is huge.  Forcing myself to do so is even bigger.

I'm not saying that we need to change the core of who we are, what we enjoy, believe or value.  For some people, taking a new route to work or ordering a different meal is change enough to make them proud.  For some, that change can go as big as bungee jumping or skydiving or something along those lines.  This time around, for me, it's going to an Avenged Sevenfold concert.  I'm not changing who I am for this new person, but I'm willing to embrace, or at least try, some of what he likes.  And I hope that he's willing to do the same for me.

We all have the ability to shake things up for someone else, whether we necessarily realize it or not.  Holding the door open for someone who doesn't expect it has the potential to change their attitude.  Patronizing a local grocery store instead of a national chain helps them out and changes the view for you.  I tend to dislike going to a different store because I'm unfamiliar with the layout and the whereabouts of what it is I need to buy, but sometimes it's nice just to browse around and walk the aisles for no particular reason.  Never know what secret you might find.  So the next time you find yourself repeating something over and over, take a jump.  It might be a bit frightening at first to do something new and different, but I believe that in the end, if you can enjoy it and learn from it, it's well worth the effort. So go ahead... Jump!