Climbing out of the rut in order to find a new groove

There's a very fine line
Between a groove and rut

Christine Lavin, "Prisoners of their Hairdos"

 With Lori early on her way to Minneapolis, me trying to sustain a revived exercise discipline, and a beautiful autumn day unfolding outside, I thought I would take a walk around Gray's Lake.  After all, I will get plenty of opportunities to take advantage of the exercise equipment in the basement; these are days to seize the beautiful outdoors while the temperatures still attract.  So, I threw on some sweats, jumped in the car, parked and started my brisk walk.  

That's when it hit me:  the day is beautiful and crisp; I was after some exercise; why in the world did I jump in my car to navigate the less-than-a-quarter-mile between my house and the lake?  I wasn't pressed for time.  I no longer have a dog to transport.  It's an easy trek over to the trail.  The weather is beckoning.  I couldn't think of a single explanation for my behavior other than habit. I jump into the car as a matter of course.  Apparently, without even thinking about it.

It started me thinking about the myriad other stupid things I do without so much as a thought -- "stupid" at least as it pertains to the environment, personal health, financial responsibility, as well as common sense.  I have habitualized ease, sacrificing prudence as an expendable price.

But as I made my way around the glassy lake under a sunlit sky, there was another, more blessed, insight.  If so much of my lifestyle is rutted by mindless habit, imagine how much could change by simply paying attention...

...to where I go, and how I how I get there;

...to what I eat, and how I prepare it;

...to who I encounter, and the subtleties written on their face.

I think it was Robert McAfee Brown who observed that "where you stand determines what you see; who you listen to determines what you hear; and what you do determines who you are."

As embarrassing as it was to sit back down in my car to accomplish the short drive home, it was comforting to think that at least I am standing in a different place, seeing life differently; listening to different people and hearing something fresh; and at least trying to do things a little differently in order to become a better "me."

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