Getting Out of the Rut

     Every day since my knee surgery in February, I run seven miles.  The seven miles are always the same.  I have a route that cannot be changed.  The route includes almost circling several blocks which would be illogical if one were just going from point A to point B.  There was a purpose in the dark of winter for this route.  These blocks had street lamps and I need those to see where I was going.

    Winter gave way to Spring that gave way to summer.  As the summer solstice approached, I still went around those blocks, I still did not deviate from the route even though there was plenty of light to see by.

    Most days the thought never occurred to me to take a different route.  Then out of boredom, I would sometimes consider going straight instead of around the blocks.  But my brain fought against this notion.  It did not feel comfortable.  It was not familiar.  It was not my route.  So my stubbornness would ensure that I stuck to MY route and not deviate from it.  Week after week, month after month.  

    Don't get me wrong.  I felt great on all of the runs.  I was so grateful just to be running and that's part of the reason I never changed the route.

    Life began to be like that as well.  I settle into a routine as we all do.  I am very comfortable in my routine when I'm not working.  I do not deviate from it and when forced to do so like to run and errand when I should be biking is an irritation.

    To get out of this rut really takes some effort.  It's risky, daring, not comfortable.  You're facing the unknown.  

    When I plan some adventure like going to the Colorado Trail, John Muir Trail, or Pacific Northwest, I talk to myself about how I will do it but more often than that, I never do actually do it.

    So now I'm definitely out of this rut.  I'm sitting at the Dallas airport waiting to board a flight to Madrid, Spain.  Almost three weeks of the unknown.  I'm out of that comfort zone.  I'm not going around the block but venturing forward toward some destination and adventure.  

    Travel enough and that becomes the new routine.  Being a school teacher makes that difficult because ten months of the year I am not traveling so I have to adjust and get out of my comfort zone.

    There's really never been an adventure, never been a trip that I have regretted.  There's always something new to learn, places to explore and memories to be made.  I know it will be that way this time as well but first I have to get out of the rut.  I have to do something that is uncomfortable as the reward will be great.

    Soon enough I'll be back home in my recliner in the evenings.  Early in the morning I'll wake up and I'll do that seven mile loop.  I just need to make sure that I never let it get too comfortable.