One day last week, I took a different route from Penn Station to my office.  Out of sheer routine, every day I walk up Seventh Avenue and make a right on West 35th Street.  This morning, it was chilly and the sun was shining on 34th Street.  Not on the Macy’s side of the street; the side with the stores.

It was only a small change, but the city felt different. I noticed a shop window filled with shoes and a new store with colorful clothing in the window.  A street musician was busily setting up for the morning, and sunlight was catching the tops of buildings I usually pass without seeing. 

Frankly, nothing was especially dramatic, yet this new route felt fresh and unexpectedly new.  It reminded me how easily routine can narrow our attention. Sometimes, changing course by just one block is enough to make a familiar morning feel new – and start a day with surprising fresh view.