A Tale of Two Spoons

First, a very quick training update. I did a workout this morning on the bike trainer. It was my first workout in ten days. Having my husband and kids home for Christmas week really messed with my routines. Excuse? Not really. But the new year is a clean slate and I'm back on track after a 240-hour rest day.

Now, on to today's adventure...

This morning's 31 Days of Adventure email asked me to consider going to work by a different means of transportation or a different route. If these adventures had started on the first of May, I would have happily ridden my bike to work, but with January temperatures creeping down towards zero my bike is staying on the trainer in the basement. I could have bundled up and walked, but, again, it's really cold and I'd have to walk really fast to beat the school bus home after my afternoon yoga class.

Another route? Honestly, there is only one way to get from my house to the yoga studio without turning a 1.7 mile commute into a 15+ mile drive, and I can't do that to the environment.

View Larger Map

But the purpose of today's adventure wasn't really to find a new way to work. It was to get out of the rut of doing the same thing, day in and day out. And so we come to the spoons...

On Christmas morning my stocking was stuffed with, among other things, new wooden spoons. Nothing fancy; they're just the basic wooden spoons for stirring stuff. After Christmas they were put in the appropriate drawer.

This morning I had to stir waffle batter, so I opened the drawer to look for .... my old spoon. I've had it forever. I'm not sure if it was mine originally or a hand-me-down from my mother or grandmother. The handle has worn smooth and the spoon part is cracked. It's dark with oil and age. I use it every time I make pancakes or waffles. It feels good in my hand and is just the right size for the small mixing bowl.

This morning my old spoon wasn't in the drawer. (I found it later in the drying rack.) What was in the drawer was one of the new spoons, which happens to be the same size and shape. But the new spoon was, well, new. The handle was rough and the edges sharp. It didn't have the same weight.

I remembered today's adventure and used the new spoon. The waffle batter mixed up just fine, my son had his breakfast and my day went on, although I was left wondering how many other ruts I've gotten myself into without knowing it. I thought about how I couldn't get my workouts done during Christmas week because the routine changed. And I realized just how badly I needed some adventures.