Have you ever bought something and then wished you hadn’t? I have.

Just yesterday, a parcel of craft supplies arrived. I opened it up and went through the items that I had ordered. “Why did I buy this?” I wondered. “Will I ever use that?” I had got carried away by the cheap prices on the website and ordered things I do not usually use. I can’t return them, and to be honest, I don’t really want to, I am seeing this as a challenge to use things in my crafting that are new to me.

We don’t always buy something new to us, do we? When I was selling clothing, I had one lady who bought a pair of black trousers. She returned them the next day, rather shamefacedly admitting that she had already fourteen pairs of black trousers at home. I too am guilty of buying things that are similar to those I already have. I forget I have them and think, “Oh, that’s nice,” and then get them home only to discover I have something almost identical in my wardrobe or craft room.

But, back to those things that are new. I know that I get into a rut with my crafting, just as I get into a rut with my cooking. I need to be shaken out of it. This year, all my Christmas cards are very modern and monochrome. They look sophisticated and elegant, but I’m not sure they’re really “me.” Pinterest has been my greatest friend this year. Still, at least I know that people won’t get a card that looks exactly like the card they had last year. Each year I try to do something different, but I don’t always succeed.

My cooking is very English and traditional. I love it when my daughter cooks, because then we get Middle Eastern or Asian flavours. She loves to experiment with recipes. Because I work evenings now, it’s rare that I cook, so we get a lot more interesting meals.

It’s easy to get into a rut. It’s both comforting and boring. Cooking the same meals time after time takes no effort of thought. Trying a new recipe is at once interesting and a little scary: what if it doesn’t turn out well?

Jobs can be like this. My husband finds his job boring because it’s the same pattern year after year, he can do the job in his sleep. But he is coming up to retirement, so getting another job is not practical; he needs to stick it out for another two years.

Are you in a rut? Is it comfortable or do you feel bored and confined? Could you escape the rut? How much effort would it take and how challenging would it be? Using a different recipe is not really very scary in the great scheme of things; getting a new job can be terrifying. How do you feel about your own particular rut?

Mary

A Moodscope member