Do the unexpected

Published: Aug 18, 2020
By: Loretta Milan

Routines are nice. They create a certain comfort, they tell our minds what to expect, they give life a rhythm. But routines can turn each day into a treadmill.

We know where to step next. We can run without thinking.

Living on a treadmill can make our minds complacent, lazy even, and can stop us being conscious, stop us looking out for the unexpected. Life’s surprises can be missed, ideas passing by unacknowledged. 

Shake up your life. Allow time in your schedule for the unplanned. Create space for spontaneity, to follow imagination, to see where it leads.

My partner regularly asks me: ‘When was the last time you did something for the first time?’ It’s a prompt to try something new. There are always opportunities, no matter how many years you have lived. Even my grandad, just before he passed at 92, still found new things to read, new things to do, new places to go, new experiences to try. 

Fetch your notebook. Jot down a few things you’d like to try.

New doesn’t have to be expensive, big or mean travelling to far off lands but if there’s something special that would be a dream experience, why not? 

Have you ever attempted juggling? Cartwheeled? Made pasta from scratch? When was the last time you made a unicorn out of papier-mâché and decorated it with glitter? Could you learn a magic trick, invent a song, roller-skate backwards or say hello to someone who looks lonely? Could you write a thoughtful message on a postcard and send it to someone who needs to be uplifted right now? 

You could try writing-related things too.

Never written a haiku? Give it a try. Always fancied writing a story? Why not turn to a fresh page in your notebook and see what happens? Not sure what to write? Try a writing prompt. Always wanted to polish up a piece and enter it into a competition? See if there’s something for you on our latest list of writing opportunities.

Be imaginative. Be bold. Fill your list with inspiration. 

Don’t stop when your ink runs dry. Carry your notebook around with you and record new ideas as they pop into your mind. The more you embrace the new, the more you embrace the unexpected, the more new ideas will come to you.

Creativity is a blessing, new experiences a wonderful gift.