This year a dear friend sent me a gift – of an Advent Calendar.

I had never seen one quite like it – and of course didn’t even know what it was like until – as instructed – I opened it on December 1st. It was an Advent Calendar – for the – ‘coffee lover’ – and as my friends know – I love my coffee – but at the same time – I am rather particular about it too.

And so – the tasting began – and what a treat it is proving to be. For instead of simply making my usual coffee – I am surprised each morning – as different flavours hit my taste buds.

This got me thinking – about so much in my life – that I do – purely from habit – or because I have always done it that way.

It reminds me of a story I once heard – about a new bride – who when cooking her first roast for her husband – chopped the ends off the meat. Her husband asked her why she did this – and she replied – ‘because my mother always did it that way’. Later – on visiting her grandma – the young bride asked her why she cut the ends off her meat joint – to which the grandma replied – ‘it’s the only way it will fit into the pan!’

I find that story quite amusing – yet – at the same time – it does illustrate how easily we can do things in life – follow certain patterns etc. – almost without thinking about what we are doing – or even questioning why we are doing it.

Getting back to the coffee however – it has definitely made me determined to try something new – to break out of my habit of purchasing the same coffee every time – and you never know – I may just find something I prefer – or – maybe I will end up staying with the same.

But – what matters is that I at least made the effort to try – to experiment – instead of simply sticking with what I know.

Trying new things is something that I have always loved to do – but – I know that everyone is not the same – and some would rather just stick to the familiar – and that is okay.

It can be a little ‘scary’ at times – trying new things – and new ways of doing things – but as this quote puts it – “To learn something new – you need to try new things – and not be afraid to be wrong”.

One thing – that the journey I have been on over recent months has taught me – is the value of pausing – of asking the questions – seeking to understand – both – ‘who I am’ – and – ‘why I follow certain beliefs’.

For – I guess that – “One has to do something new – in order to see something new”.

There are times when I have broken away from my old way of doing things – done something new – seeking to bring clearer vision – to view things with an open mind – daring to change.

Some of those changes have stayed with me – but – in the changing – I seek to keep an open mind.

I love this quote – “Open minded people don’t care to be right – they care to understand. There’s never a right or wrong answer – everything is about understanding”.

And so – I will try new coffees – branch out – expand my horizons – seeking – not to be right or wrong – but to better understand myself – and the world around me.

Blessings – Lois