A small change for the better

I had to run last week to my local Department of Motor Vehicle office for a new driver’s license. I had to get a new photo taken. The little smiley face that I drew haphazardly on a piece of paper wasn’t going to work should I get pulled over by the state police.

The errand was annoying. It was the last thing I wanted to do on a busy day, but I needed to get it done. In my haste, I turned right, when I should have turned left. I had gone a good distance before I realized my mistake. Oh, I still got to where I needed to go, but it took me in a completely different route.

As I drove, I was amazed with what I found. I drove past beautiful farmland and a woods that made me think of the state forest near where I grew up. Several happy memories from back when I was a kid came to mind. I got a smile on my face thinking about the memories. Also, the traffic seemed less, calming my mood. To top it off, my wife called me. She warned me that the road I normally would have taken was blocked for an accident. If I had gone that route, I would have been stuck for at least an hour or so in bumper to bumper traffic.

My trip to get my license photo is a simple story, a simple errand, but it reminded me that changing up our routine is often good for us. We fight change. We run from it, we make it bigger and more burdensome than it really is, but it often is exactly what we need.

Yes, change is good.

………

“Change your thoughts and you change your world.” —Norman Vincent Peale

“Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.” —Carol Burnett

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” —Mahatma Gandhi

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” —Margaret Mead