I like taking our three dogs on a daily walk. It’s a practice I started when we first moved to California more than four years ago when I didn’t have a full-time job, and now that I work from home, I’m able to do it early in the day before my full-time job begins. In the months when I wasn’t employed, I would walk the dogs on a particular route, one that was a little more meandering and longer. But now that I only have a limited time in the mornings, our route is pretty direct and timed.

What’s interesting is that our oldest dog, a miniature dachshund named Moe who can no longer see nor hear very well, remembers that old walking route from four years ago. He pulls on the leash to turn down a particular street, just like we used to when we first moved here. It’s familiar to him in some way. Maybe it’s the smell of the trees and flowers on that street. Maybe he’s trying to take control by sticking to what he remembers.

His bent toward the familiar makes me consider my own choices. How often do I go with the familiar just because it’s safe rather than taking a chance on trying something new? We can justify sticking with what we know pretty easily, but I wonder how many of life’s adventures we miss out on when we do what we have always done. By taking a different route, we open our perspective to new experiences, witness other viewpoints, and learn how resilient we really are.