Nothing Routine About It

Routines are necessary for our jobs, our families, our lives. But when routines breed complacency, or even contempt, they become less effective and can hinder our potential growth.
 
“Can we do this today, instead?” asks our child or student.
 
“No, we have our schedule. We have our plan. We have our routine.”
 
Unbeknownst to us are the myriad trails that can lead to new learning, new adventures, new joys. Stopping to smell the roses, stopping to breathe the fresh air, stopping to watch a butterfly are rarely part of our routines. But, observation and reflection and rest from a routine pace could be the catalyst for something that could never be described as “routine.”