I do enjoy an adventure, a break from routine or something newly discovered. However, if we are honest with ourselves, we enjoy adventures that look a certain way, go certain places, contain certain smells and sounds and people. This morning, I had this new energy driving my car. My shoulders were relaxed, it was a two-hour delay schedule. I jumped into my blue car, turned it on, waited for the windows to defrost, and I was on my merry way. I chuckled to myself because it was a perfect driving climate-literally no one was on the road. In fact, outside was so silent that you could actually hear ice crackling from the branches and window panes. It was like listening to a mixed tape of winter. 

The city was asleep. But not asleep enough for an untimely adventure. I traveled all the way across the 40th street bridge only to realize that where I usually turned right was completely blocked off. I was immedietely the opposite of cheerful and to make matters worse, I have no directional sense and ended up making a 10 minute out-of-the-way loop around the city. I contacted my closest friend (my brother) to help me with another route. 

What I began to think about though was just the panic I had regarding a "new route" in my day. Every so often, I do believe things happen where we are called to not only cherish life but to break everyday routine and realize there are other paths. Sometimes, our bodies become so used to the paths set before us that we do not even think for a moment the possibility of traveling in a different direction. Unless of course, a water main break occurs and we are forced to shift life routes.

For me, though, it was a realization of a couple of things: 

As humans, we panic over things out of our control. We tell ourselves not to, but we do it anyways. 

Panic takes over and we cannot even begin to think about the fact that maybe something good will come of a different route.

And then, of course, there are always people along the way who are there to comfort you when your ordinary route is blocked off. They are the indiviuals who place sense and whimsy back into your day (thanks, Nick.) They are the people who make you believe that there are new options available that offer different scenery and possibly even a better option than the path you have traveled on again and again without looking back. They are the individuals who provide road signs when there are none.

Perhaps we should treat every day like a water main break. We do not need to change everything in routine but perhaps a few shifts here and there. It keeps life beautiful, but it also allows you to react with a calm, clear spirit when a forced path must be taken. 

Force your own paths. Watch the uncomfortable turn into a renewed sense of wonder.