I had an eye-opening revelation while out walking yesterday.

Since my health club has closed up, I can no longer swim, so I walk. I walked my regular route that I established years ago, but not in the same direction as usual. I almost walk it backwards now. There’s a freshness to it.

The revelation was about doing things the same way I did them in the past. I noticed lots of resistance when attempting to walk my route the regular way. It had a “past” feel to it and part of me did not want to relive that past.

I then thought about about a mythical band that broke up and went their separate ways. But, for whatever reason, they decided to get back together. There were reasons that they broke up back then and those reasons still exist at some level today. If they go back to doing things the way they did then, chances are they will break up again.

If you are reentering an old part of your life, may I suggest that you approach it from a different angle.

The newness in the old situation will fade quickly. One way to make it last is to reevaluate your role and give yourself a wider berth. In other words, be more open than you were in the past. The word “flexibility” comes to mind.

You don’t have to be different, just more pliable like a new branch of a tree in spring. If you bring back the old, hardened branch, it won’t be too long before you’ll be packing your trunk, again.

There is a comforting factor about old shoes, but if you walk the same route in them, chances are you’ll be singing the blues, again.

All the best,

John