I set out for my usual walk along the seafront today but noticed someone I knew walking very slowly ahead of me. I just did not want to talk to them lovely as they are. I was tired having chatted to friends for a couple of hours earlier.

So I turned on my heels and took a different route, basically back tracking.

I was walking the same route but backwards in the reverse direction (not walking backwards!). Everything looked different even though the buildings, the path, the sea etc were the same as ever. Just looked at from a different angle.

It was like a breath of fresh air. I noticed things which had gone unnoticed for the three or four years I'd done this walk. Very strange.

I thought maybe changing one’s routine just a little might be good for us.Nothing dramatic but say emptying the dishwasher at a different time, changing the routine for your breakfast preparation.

Maybe we could slightly change our automatic reactions or responses to things that annoy us too. My initial reaction to the slightest thing which might annoy me is to respond with negativity and sometimes totally unjustified anger.

The other morning when I got up, I heard this tap, tap, tap noise. It was intermittent but you knew it was coming after a pause. It went on all morning and I was pretty sure it was a guy nailing struts onto his roof. He'd done this before and I felt angry he needed to do it again. His neighbours must be suffering I thought. We can hear it from down the hill so  those poor neighbours subjected to that all day.

I sent my husband out to see if he could locate the guy and the roof so that I could be sure I was right! I was. But suddenly I thought Julia come on stop these ridiculous time wasting thoughts and I changed my irritation to understanding that the noise really wasn't that bad and I should just ignore it which I did. My husband pointed out later that day that the tapping was still going on but I hadn't noticed it. Result!

Routines are important and grounding but I wonder is there something you can change today as you go about your daily business?

Julia 

A Moodscope Member