We all fall into habits, some good, some not-so-good. So once in a while, it's nice to shake up one's routine.

For example, on weekends when we are in town, Peter and I walk around a nearby reservoir. It's more than two miles around, so it's good exercise. We frequently bump into neighbors, but there are often nice surprises like seeing someone we never expected to find there. One thing we can count on is a huge number of dogs being walked—and Peter thinks that is a plus, mainly because if I get my fill of other people's dogs at the reservoir, I might give up on the idea of owning one.

We've been walking there for more than fifteen years. Over that time, the city has made some improvements, including a field of wildflowers, some nice benches and more. But one thing that hadn't changed was the direction we walk.

I don't know what caused me to suggest last Sunday that we walk in the opposite direction. We both were surprised by the different perspective we had. We entered at the top of a hill that we usually climbed to exit. The view from that point looking down on the reservoir was quite stunning.

As we proceeded around the pond, we kept seeing things we never noticed before-- a new path into the woods, a house situated high on a hill, people we never see because they walk in the same direction we do.

I'm thinking about changing some other routines.