Change it Up

So today, I was on my way home from a doctor's visit in Corvallis, and I decided it was time to take a new road home. This is HUGE for me. For those of you that think I am a normal, well-adjusted girl-Ha!! We all have our crazy-making issues, and driving is one of mine. I have never liked driving. It makes me feel unsafe, it makes me bored, it makes me anxious, it makes me claustrophobic, and it makes me always (always!!) wonder where a restroom is in case I need to stop (overactive bladder here unfortunately, though we are getting meds figured out). All that being said, I normally have to drive somewhere 3-4 times with directions in my hand or on my nav system before I am comfortable doing without. Once I know how to get somewhere, you had better believe that it is the only way I am going! I have been seeing the same OB/GYN since 2002 when I moved to Oregon. I know how to get there, and though it is like a 45 minute drive from my house (and no I am not changing doctors!)-the drive is not that bad. Now, normally I would go home the exact same way that I came. Today though, it was pretty out, and I decided that I was going to take the scenic route (Peoria Rd.) in a big loop through Harrisburg then back home. I only had to fight the urge to look up the directions a few times, and I did fight it. That might sound silly, but for this girl it was pretty darn huge. The drive was gorgeous, and relaxing. It was nice. I found a drive nice. Wow. 13 years of driving (I got my license at 18, not 16), and maybe things are changing for me.

This time of year, when the leaves are just beginning to fall, I tend to get introspective and nostalgic both. Sometimes change happens in the blink of an eye. Someone passes away unexpectedly, a pet is injured, a new job begins, a baby is born, and life changes quickly and irrevocably. Other times, change is slow, like the turning of the leaves into a different color or the growing up of a child. You see the little things each day until it finally hits you that indeed something has changed. I have encountered SO much change in the last three years, but most of it has been really great. Change can be amazing, and can wake us up. So today I encourage you to go do something different. Change your routine just a little. You may be amazed at the happiness and perspective that this brings.