It might seem like a simple thing. After all, I've been driving from the same house to the same synagogue for 7 years (that's how long we've lived in this house. I'm actually celebrating my 10th year at the synagogue!). But today I got a little lost.
On purpose.
Part of this project is, in my mind, teaching an old dog new tricks. Not to call myself old (or a dog), but I wanted to shake things up just a teensy bit. Nothing crazy, mind you.
But a new route to work? Just right.
Today I drove down a street I'd never taken, and I kept going. I took a right turn instead of a left turn and I just drove around, headed in the right general direction, until I came to the main road.
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I wasn't in the car that much longer than usual. But I paid attention. Usually I drive and don't look around much. After all, I've seen it all many many times before. Sure, I look carefully when the fall foliage is at its brightest, and I adore looking at trees covered in snow (well, for the first 2 minutes of winter)...but basically? It's just my usual drive.
So today....I paid attention. I drove a new way. It was almost like a meditation, looking around and thinking curiously about the homes, the streets, the different path. I didn't just drive to work. I thought about how grateful I am that I have the ability to go to work, work that I love, work that inspires and fulfills me. All that, just from a change of scenery.
Blessed are You, O God, who creates different routes and pathways, and who helps me to see that which is usually the same in a different way, and for bringing me to this day.
2 comments:
That's a wonderful way of exercising the mind.
When I used to work in two different buildings and traveled between them almost daily, I had a rule that I would never drive the same route twice in a row. I often made it three or four days of taking different routes every time. It made the route much more mindful.
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