We’ve been in our new house for about three weeks now, long enough to establish some new routines. But it’s all still new enough that I’m aware of the newness pretty constantly. And that newness–that consciousness of newness, leaves a space for newness in myself as well.

When I typed the name of my preferred grocery chain into maps, two came up, both 1.8 miles from our new home. I selected one and drove to it. The next week, when our fridge was starting to look empty again, I drove to the same location. I knew where it was already. I realized this is how years of habits are formed. Though both locations are 1.8 miles from our door, I had already settled on the one that will be “our store.”

For the first couple weeks here, everything I visited– that store, the library, downtown, felt a little bit like an island. I would listen to the navigation on my phone and follow the directions but I didn’t quite see how everything fit together. The map of our new community is starting to piece itself together in my mind now. It’s amazing how our brains can take these bits of spatial information and gradually build a more complete and connected sense of place. Eventually we hold whole neighborhoods, whole cities inside ourselves.

Being in the in-between– being aware of that process– has challenged me to take advantage of this time of neuroplasticity. I’m consciously establishing new routines that I want to be a part of me in this new place– consciously taking good care of our home, turning off my phone before I go to sleep and waiting as long as possible to turn it on in the morning, writing every day, listening to audiobooks, building community.

You don’t have to move to get into this mindset of opening. Just shake up your habits and your routines, the ones that you don’t even think about. Help yourself wake up. Park on the other side of the garage. Sleep on the other side of the bed. Take a different street to your kid’s school. Go to the other grocery store. I think I will next time.

What will you do to turn off the autopilot? What will you create when you do? Please let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!

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