This morning, I went to a yoga class and rolled my mat out in the same place I always do. It wasn’t until a good five minutes later that I realized that one of the women who is always behind me was instead next to me, to my right. That was different.

When the instructor walked in, she noticed the change immediately and said “I was thinking about perspective on my way over here and I was going to talk about something else, but now that seems less relevant.” I left an hour and half (and several sore muscles) later thinking about how a change in perspective is often at the heart of understanding someone else better. And with that understanding can come an insight necessary for moving past a difficult moment.

This week, what if we try changing seats? Maybe at a meeting meeting, or a class, or just sitting down in a familiar room: what would things look like from another place? Or from a seat next to someone you don’t know well. Or someone you don’t get along with.

I am a deep appreciator of habits, they help us get through the complexities of life in an amazing way. If I imagine all the things that have to happen in any given day – or week – to make it though, it’s overwhelming. From food to book bags to practices and events, we’d be lost without the small habits, like putting our keys in the same place (which I finally learned to do so recently I’d be embarrassed to tell you exactly when this became a habit!). We work so hard on the big habits, too, like exercise, eating well, work, college. Yet there’s value in shaking it up a little.

We’re delighted when there’s a small bump in the day, something different that marks it as special. The other morning I got up on a school day and made pancakes. They were from a mix, it wasn’t fancy, but it was fun and it surprised the kids (and me!). Yet in the business of our lives, it’s easy to pare down to the basics and be efficient about everything we possibly can. Including where we sit at meetings.

What will be different this week?