Something New
Yesterday I ate lunch at my favorite little Thai restaurant. I always order the same thing: chicken panang curry and Thai iced tea.
I don’t know if it was the cold weather or what, but something pushed me to try the roasted duck curry instead.
Unexpectedly, there was a complexity of flavor that elevated the dish from simply good to sublime. I savored every mouthful, and washed it down with hot green tea. I must say it was one of the most memorable lunches in recent history.
I think that sometimes we all get a bit complacent as we journey from day to day. We stick with things that are comfortable and familiar, and rarely stray from what we know.
But what if we made a conscious decision to try something new once a week? Or even once a month?
I had a call from my 71-year-old mom the other day, who proudly told me that she had joined a gym for the first time. She then told me she had signed up for a spinning class! On the one hand, I was concerned that she might not know what she was getting into.On the other, I was in awe.
After the class, she called to tell me how tough it was, and that she didn’t know if she’d do it again, but in the next breath she said, “I signed up for a pilates class.” Wow.
I hope that when I’m 71 I still have the gumption to push myself outside my comfort zone and keep trying new things.
In the grand scheme of things, it really doesn’t matter if the new thing is enjoyable or not. By simply choosing something unfamiliar, we can improve the richness of experience in our lives.
Who knows? We might just discover a new favorite dish. 
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