The Great Swap: Trying Old Things In New Ways

The idea started with a dinner discussion.  What would we have?  Choices for cooking were few (pantry nearly bare).  We could order in or get take out.  But nothing was getting sufficient votes.  And then I asked if anyone would like pancakes.  "For dinner," they asked?  

Well yes. 

I don't believe that there are valid rules for certain foods only belonging to certain meals. And I love breakfast for dinner.  I always have.  So we had pancakes for dinner.  What was surprising was that It seemed that the pancakes were better than ever.  Even the bacon (which is never right for everyone's crunch meter) was getting rave reviews.

By taking food out of the context of its expected time and place, we pay more attention to it.  We appreciate it more.  What started as a ho-hum evening turned into a fun time because we had pancakes for dinner (or supper for my southern friends).  Having breakfast for dinner seemed to create a second opportunity to wake up for the day.

It made me think about what else we tend to take for granted, perhaps even ignore, because it remains so tightly bound within its context.  What would happen if we took it out of context and saw it in a new light?  How would our relationship with "it" change?  Would we see it differently from that point forward? Would we see new uses for "it"?

Consider even the people in our lives.  Particularly those that seem to serve us every day anonymously.  Waitresses, delivery drivers, store clerks - you know who I mean.  We see them often.  Sometimes more than we see our family and friends.  And yet, if we saw them "out of context," I wonder if we would even recognize them.

Perhaps taking things and people out of context and allowing a new light to shine on them is the key.  It's that age-old concept of perspective.  Those shifts can make all the difference in the world.

It's a great reminder of how easy it can be to keep things interesting.  Have pancakes for dinner.  Introduce ourselves to someone we see all the time but have never met. Mix it up a bit.  Surprise ourselves. Create a ripple of inspiration for trying old things in new ways.

 Truly the art of possibility.