The Spice of Life

A few weeks ago, we welcomed a family onto our side of the church. They weren’t new to our congregation; they had simply stepped across the aisle and sat in a new location. During the guest introductions, we introduced them as having moved from the other side of the aisle to visit our side of the sanctuary. They were greeted warmly and told to visit anytime, as any new guest would be.

It was all done tongue-in-cheek, but as Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas point out in their book Humor, Seriously, humor is imbued with some of the sharpest truths. Even as we laughed, we recognized the kernel of truth underlying the announcement: we don’t cross aisles very often, even in our churches.

Creatures of Habit

Humans are creatures of habit. We don’t need assigned seats, because we will naturally assign ourselves. If you have any kind of regular meeting, most people will naturally gravitate to toward the same location after the first few sessions.

Perhaps with all the uncertainties of life, our tendency to pattern our behavior gives us a sense of control. We may draw comfort from familiarity, even when the familiar is nothing more than a seat we sat in once before. Perhaps the primal element in the design of our brains sends subconscious signals: I sat in this chair once before and didn’t get eaten by a lion; I should sit in this chair again.

Regardless of the reasoning for the initial repeat, we know from habit-forming research that as we repeat a pattern, actual neural pathways form in our brains making it even more likely that we will repeat the sequence of actions again. This is what allows us to do some familiar actions on “auto-pilot” while seemingly thinking of other things.

Habits can serve many positive purposes. In addition to the potential sense of safety and control, habits allow us to accomplish tasks with more proficiency and less effort. They also allow us to connect with certain individuals whose habits overlap with ours, which forms the foundation of friendships and more.

But…

But – you knew there was a “but” coming didn’t you? – sometimes we need to shake up our habits.

While life may throw so much uncertainty at us that we appreciate a little routine, there are also times where we get so stuck in our routines that we miss out on life. “Stuck in a rut” we call it. A rut, if you’ve never stopped to consider the definition, is a long, deep track made by the repeated passage of some object, such as wheels of a vehicle. Ruts can get so deep that they start to hem you in. Wheels can get stuck in ruts. We can, too.

Instead of a comfortable familiarity, patterns can become barriers to new opportunities. How many people at church have I never spoken to simply because I’ve never sat next to them? How many experiences have I missed simply because my pattern didn’t overlap with someone or someplace new?

Spice up your Habits

Variety is the spice of life, they say*. If you’d like to add some flavor to your day, take the Spice of Life Challenge:

1. Assuming you don’t actually have assigned seats, sit in a new location at your next church, school, or work gathering. (Just don’t take your boss’ seat.)
2. Drive a different route to work, school, or the store.
3. Put your opposite shoe on first.
4. Take a walk someplace new.
5. Seek out someone you don’t know, and say hello.

Don’t let your ruts prevent you from enjoying the spice of life!

*According to the always reliable Google, the origin of this saying is most commonly attributed to William Cowper from his 1785 poem “The Task” which includes the line “Variety’s the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor.” Like all great quotes, there are also variations attributed to others.

This post was first shared at www.inspireafire.com. I hope it added some spice to your day!