By: Kendra Whitmire
Human beings are by nature habitual beasts. It is so easy to fall into patterns of being. Wake up, go to work, come home, watch TV, go to sleep, repeat. If you are anything like me, you strive for ways to break up that monotony. There are so many things I want to do and learn, and every day I seem to find something else that piques my interest. However, all I ever seem to do is just add it to my bucket list. This list grows way faster than I am able to cross things off. It is hard to find the time and means to complete those big adventures that inspire me, so I have decided to look at the small things I can do that will infuse my life with some of the same adventurous spirit that trekking through a live volcano in Hawaii, visiting India, or taking a cooking class will.
I have decided to try something new everyday. It can be something big like starting a class, or it can just be running a different trail than I usually do or eating a different type of sandwich for lunch. The smallest changes can be easier to find time to do, yet sometimes they bring along a big surprise. Today, for example, I decided to do something I had been considering doing for a long time: taking an afternoon walk. I live near a beautiful, natural area and I always mean to walk through it when I take my afternoon break from work rather than just watching TV. Today I actually did it. I walked and sat and meditated, enjoying the natural energy surrounding me. Additionally, I spoke to a few people and petted a couple dogs. The connection I made with both nature and my surrounding community, although so small and simple, made my entire day brighter and lovelier. Even the best TV show could not have competed with this experience. It didn’t hurt that it was the perfect day for it: bright, sunny and gorgeous.
Now that I have taken my afternoon walk this on time, I am inspired to continue to do it often. It may no longer be labeled as “something new” for me to do everyday, but every time I walk, it will provide me with an opportunity for a new, albeit similar, experience. However, I am not going to stop there. I will find something new for me to do tomorrow. Perhaps tomorrow I will try a new recipe or turn left instead of right on my run. My hope is that through implementing new things all the time, it will become easier to find the time, energy, and motivation to actually do the big things on my bucket list. I already have scheduled two major bucket list items in October: getting SCUBA certified and taking a flying trapeze class!
Even if I continue to not be very good at completing the larger items on my bucket list, at least I will have small adventures that will break up the monotony in my life. Additionally, they say it is healthy for your brain to continue to learn more things, so learning and doing something new everyday will keep me sharp and energized. Who knows what experience may unexpectedly occur from the smallest change. What will you do new today?
