I Walked Down Maple Avenue

There is a lot going on in Morristown, but, let's be honest–it's still a pretty small town.

Growing up in one of the largest towns in Monmouth County, Middletown, gave me a false sense of size. Middletown is over 40-square-miles; Morristown is three-square-miles. I could go a couple days, barring I actually got out of the house, and never leave town. A trip to the supermarket, an afternoon at the park. Later in my teen years, my job at the now-defunct Mattress Discounters down the highway. All Middletown.

If I go for a brisk walk down South Street from Town Hall, I can be in Morris Township in 15 minutes. 

And despite that whole "there's a lot going on in Morristown" bit, it can be very easy to fall into routine. It can be even easier when everything you need is all within walking distance.

"Which coffee house will I work from today," I might ask. Zebu Forno? SmartWorld? Oh, heck, let's be bold...let's go to Greenberry's today.

It can be very easy to fall into routine. 

One morning, I packed my bag and set off to work in one of my "offices" (on this morning, I chose Zebu). Usually, this would be an easy jaunt down South Street for about 10 minutes. Pop in, grab a coffee, open up my laptop and away we go.

But, as I stood at the James Street light, I thought, "what the hell, let's walk down Maple Avenue instead."

So, I did. It was relatively quiet this morning, especially when compared to the bustle of Morristown's main thoroughfare one road away. Someone was weed-whacking a property, a woman walked out of a house and got into her car, a few vehicles passed by. It was all so blissfully different than the regular routine.

And, it was just one road away. What else can shift my perspective by so little? What if I decide to put a little orange juice in my coffee this morning? How about I pack a lunch instead of spending more of the money I don't have? Why not fill my mp3 player with nothing but instrumental music by Patrick O'Hearn and Will Ackerman and bliss out on that simple walk down another road?

There was an English professor named Ben Howard at Alfred University, my alma mater, who challenged students to "see the world with fresh eyes." I think about that every day. While it can be so easy to fall into routine and think it's more than fine to "stay the course," sometimes, all it takes is a fresh perspective, and a change of direction, to turn us around.