Make the ordinary special

I go on a lot of walks. By mid-afternoon on a work day, my energy is flagging. Going for a walk is my favorite break to perk myself back up.

So I was interested to read a recent NY Times article on “How to make your walk a ‘microadventure.’” The article gave various suggestions (map out scents, visit a cemetery, go out when the weather is iffy) to make a walk more memorable. A walk is still a walk, but you can imbue it with a greater sense of curiosity.

I love this idea, but more broadly, I love the idea of recasting things we do regularly as more significant. For instance, it’s not that unusual to go outside in the evening in my household, but by giving it an official name — TOAD Time (Time Outside After Dinner) — it feels more special, and we feel marginally more likely to give it a go.

Similarly, maybe you often have a bigger breakfast as a family on Saturdays. You could give it a name (Brunch Bunch? Brunch at the Browns’, or whatever your name is…?) and really do it up.

Ritualizing the regular provides a nice counterpoint to the truth that the routine tends to become stale after a while. When too much sameness stacks up, whole years can disappear into memory sinkholes.

But when we consciously choose to make regular actions more significant, we pay more attention. We take these daily actions more seriously. We make more memories. Anything that wakes us up -- just like an afternoon walk -- is probably good.

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