habit disguised as the only way

 i begin my walk each morning before the sun makes a spectacle as it rises over the mountain, and while most beings are still cozy in bed. 

my footsteps create a rhythm as they carry me on my routine route to the neighborhood park. the birds sing and chatter their stories, and i am their sole listener. 

i high-five the trees that reach out to acknowledge my effort. we are celebrating the feat of overcoming my head by putting on my shoes and stepping out the door. 

as i walk my well-worn loop around the park my mind wanders to places farther and faster than my feet can carry me. i allow it to remain unleashed to explore, as i am confident in its return for check-ins.

this morning i was pulled from my habitual reverie by a runner passing me in the opposite direction. my mind staying closer due to the peculiar event, i found myself questioning why i had never traversed the path counter-wise. the thought remained for another lap. feeling adventurous, i decided to turn around and retrace my footsteps in reverse to see what the runner experienced. 

...what new world was this? within a few steps the familiar became unfamiliar. 

trees i knew by heart wore different silhouettes. cracks or lifts in the walkway announced themselves for the first time. the sunrise over the mountain, usually commanding my attention, slipped quietly and less noticed, allowing an expanse of open sky i found a new appreciation for. 

what i found as my mind settled beside me, wasn't that the park looked different, it was that i had never wondered if it could. 

this experiment seems to have somehow opened a new world of possibilities. somewhere along the way, clockwise had become the way. repeated often enough, habit had quietly disguised itself as the only option.