Rerouting.

I commute to work, about 15 miles each way. And, like a slave to habit, I tend to choose the same route day after day. Turn left, turn right at the roundabout, right again, then a left, get on the interstate…I’ve practically worn grooves into the pavement. It’s become such a routine that I don’t even take notice of anything else around me. I just stare ahead, speeding down the road toward my destination, oblivious to anything around me. It’s usually only when I am a passenger in the car, traveling the same route, that I am aware of anything else.

Occasionally, but not that often, I’ll take a different route—either by choice, or I am forced to because of some obstacle or hinderance in the way of my normal path. Sometimes, I have gone so far out of my way that I then decide to go out of my way to go further out of the way. I explore.

It’s amazing what we’ll discover when we exit the fast-paced freeway and adventure onto side roads. I’ve stumbled upon remarkably beautiful landscapes, wonderfully strange homes, surprising herds of animals and things I never would have known existed had I continued in my patterned travels. I’ve happened upon bizarrely unexpected works of art out in the middle of nowhere, almost as though they were placed there specifically for me to find. These are the things I remember. These are experiences that are noteworthy. These are the unexpected notes in an otherwise monotone symphony.

I wonder how many of us simply plug in to the matrix, predictably spinning around like cogs in a machine, oblivious as to what else is out there. How many interesting things do we miss by mindlessly traveling the beaten path day after day? What experiences do we miss, and what discoveries pass us by because we are hunkering down in our tiny nests, afraid to see what’s beyond the tree?

Break the routine. Take another road. Move toward adventure. It might be something as simple as shopping at a different grocery store, but you’ll never know what cool things might be out there for you to discover if you stay trapped in your groove. Your adventure might unearth something seemingly small, or it might be magnificently life-changing, but it’s never to be seen if you don’t choose to buck the routine.