There is something to be said for routine. It keeps me on task, keeps me focused, helps me feel settled. I know what to expect and there’s a certain comfort in that. But sometimes, I just crave different.

I’ve always been like this. I love purging stuff that’s been hanging around too long. I’d rather see empty spaces on my shelves than the same old stuff that’s always been there. I like to eat things I’ve never tasted, try and invent new colors (I know, I know, not really possible, haha), and use old cameras I’ve never used before. One of my favorite things in the world is hitting the open road and going somewhere I’ve never been, with or without a plan in mind. Even as a kid, I rearranged the furniture my room every week and painted the walls every year. I rotate my knick-knacks and put things away until I forget what they look like so they’ll be a surprise when I get them back out. Aside from photos of my loved ones and family relics and heirlooms, I’d rotate everything if I could!

Maybe that’s why I love plants so much. They combine the comfort of routine with the excitement of brand-newness. They’re like friends: always there, always their lovely selves, but growing and changing every day.

I just got back from a working trip to Austin and I feel like it filled up my soul in a way. I think being somewhere out of the usual makes your mind work in new ways. Your senses step up and notice things like how the wind is different in a different place. How it has to wrap around vegetation and buildings that it doesn’t where you usually hear it. It smells different, carrying scents you won’t find in other places. It sounds different, different voices, different animals, different city sounds.

With all this different, I got the bonus of familiar. Friends, family. Bubble tea and bahn mi. Road trips like the old days. Beautiful faces not afraid to be silly. Old nicknames, familiar embraces.

Don’t forget to seek out different. Let that become your new routine.