If you’re like me and bored with your same old routines, then lets talk about how we can give life a little twist!
It’s no secret I am the “extra” one in my circle of friends. I love adding garnish and other embellishments to things to give them that extra special touch. When I go on trips with my friends, I always have goody bags made up with little fun items in hopes of enhancing everyone’s experience. Also, if you drop by my house to visit, I will probably offer you a cold beverage and serve it with a slice of lime, cucumber or a sprig of rosemary for a feel good twist. I guess adding garnish and other embellishments is one of the ways I like to show love to the people I care about.
While I am good at sprucing up and adding decorative details, I am not always good at doing the same with my life and daily experiences. Therefore, I often find myself saying, “I don’t know I am just bored and need some change in my life.”
I will be the first to admit I am a creature of habit and rarely change up my routines. I wake up at the same time every day, I run the same route every morning for exercise and seem to prepare the same five meals over and over for dinner. I do this because it is easy, requires little thought and minimal preparation. But the consistency also leaves me feeling bored, dull and predictable. I think routines are good and I thrive in structure but too much triggers my hunger for wanting more out of life and often leaves me feeling dissatisfied.
This summer I decided to jazz up my life a little by trying new things, visiting new places and changing up my predicable routines.
This year when Chris and I went on our annual summer trip to Ocracoke Island we decided to shake up the ending and go home a different route. Usually, we take the Cedar Island ferry to and from Ocracoke but this summer we decided to change it up. We took the Hatteras Island ferry from Ocracoke over to Hatteras and drove the rest of the way home which I had never done before. Taking this route was so much fun because we got to see other parts of the Outer Banks I haven’t seen before and made stops at new places along the way. My favorite stop was for lunch at one of the beach dives in Nags Head. People came up off the beach in their bathing suits and towels to have lunch and others drove there for the fresh seafood and views of the ocean. I remember telling Chris, “I am so glad we decided to go home this way, or we would have never found this awesome spot!” When I got home from our weekend away instead of being drained from our normal two-and-a-half-hour ferry ride I was pumped about the new route we had taken home and how much I enjoyed doing something out of the norm.
Not only did I decide to change up some of my normal routines this summer I also decided to change up some of my experiences by trying new restaurants and ordering new items off the menu. For years Chris and I have gone to the same restaurants over and over again on our date nights but not this summer! We have tried several new restaurants and I have enjoyed trying new foods. Some foods I loved and others I did not but either way I enjoyed the new experience that came with both.
I think most of us get used to a routine and stick with it because it is easy and manageable but find ourselves also feeling bored and dull. If you are sick of your same old routines, then it is time to make some changes and step it up a notch. Find some ways to break through your patterns of normalcy. Make a bucket list of places you would like to go, new things you would like to try and areas you would like to spruce up in your life. Try a new recipe, take the scenic route and make a new friend along the way. You might surprise yourself and actually enjoy the new experience. Change it up, spice it up and add a little garnish! DO IT FOR YOU!
do it for you 