Honoring Change

This blog is dedicated to changes in our lives that refresh us, invigorate us and inspire us. Even on a superficial level (like my blog look) positive change has a way of making us feel...new. It's fun to think that we can reinvent ourselves even through small means. It's easy to feel like we're stuck in a rut and we do the same things even on our down time (TV watching, anyone?).
These are some changes that help make me feel new:

• Sheets-I love the smell and feel of clean sheets.
• My mind-It's okay! A recently read quote: "Liberty is expressed through the simple act of wandering." ~ T.T. Williams.
• What I read-Sometimes I have to depart from my favorite genres (juvenile, Victorian era) and read something different. I used to resist non-fiction because of boredom factors, but when I branched out I realized what a world I was missing out on.
• Scenery-I love living in Utah. It has an incredible landscape and I don't think you could explore every canyon or mountain in the area thoroughly enough. When I'm tired of being in Provo, at home or at school, it's so lovely to know we can get in the car and be somewhere totally different in a few minutes.
• Routine-sometimes (like yesterday, for instance) it meant doing something as simple as getting up a little earlier so I could take a shower alone, instead of taking a bath with my daughter, something I do everyday.
• Doing something new-a few weeks ago I had more peaches than I knew what to do with. I hated the thought of it going to waste so I decided to try making some jam. I cheated (my breadmaker has a jam-making option), but it was the first time I'd ever done anything like that. I'd never even heard of pectin before. Needless to say, it was a little liberating to know that I can make jam. Maybe someday I'll change my dependance on modern-day appliances:)

These are just a few examples, but I'm curious; What things do you do to get out of a rut?