Unfamiliar Territory
Driving through a part of Dallas that I have never seen, I found myself feeling really out of sorts and grumpy. The parking lot where I stopped to buy groceries was badly laid out, the sky was too cold, the clouds all wrong. The people were all circus freaks, the checker too slow, and no one could drive a shopping cart to save their lives.
I had to step out of my little bubble – the grooves in my neighborhood where I know what to expect and where everything is – and make do in unfamiliar territory. I had to study each grocery aisle, see if the item I sought was where I supposed it might be. No? Hmmm, ok, then where? Ah, here’s is the self-rising flour, and I might as well get some cornmeal too. Oh, look! They carry Adam’s Extracts! I’ve been looking for those for months! Little surprises, being able to make do were okay, but the entire hour put me on edge, and as it turned out, I was late picking up the lad.
However, all is not lost. These unpleasant irritations and minor perceived slights, coupled with the moderate success of finding most of what I was looking for, are actually good for the brain. Processing all that new information, readjusting to the environment and keeping a neutral if not positive outlook is like doing a particularly strenuous workout for the brain. One might be “sore” afterwards, but it requires fresh connections in the brain to solve the problems presented.
And this keeps us young. Going around and around in the same pathways, like that tiger in a too-small cage at the zoo, will lead to neurosis, even psychosis. The stress of doing new things all the time, not recognizing any of the territory at all can be harmful. But surely there is a sweet spot where routine, success and the unfamiliar all meet.
Still, I forgot to get butter. So the cookie baking will have to wait until tomorrow. And no new recipes this time! I’m sticking with the tried and true!