All change, all the same?

This weekend I am moving offices. This might not seem particularly significant but for the last 22 years I have been working in Norwich city center and now I am going to be working on the very outskirts of the city in some purpose built buildings by the river. For the last ten years or so I have been driving in and out of the city on the same route day after day and in that time it has almost become an automatic process with very little thought. It has got to the point where I know exactly where I am and what time I am there by where a particular pedestrian is, or a shop opening etc. (Never let it be said that we are not all connected - you never know who is influenced by your actions!) This morning I decided to treat everything on the journey as new, really looking at it and seeing what was going on (Not that I drive in my sleep mind, it's more just shaking the routine). I wouldn't say I noticed any particular revelations but I certainly appreciated the trees and other sights on the way a little bit more. It got me thinking; in fencing we tend to fence the same people regularly, sometimes so regularly that we begin to let them fade from our attention and don't pick up nuances that we should. Familiarity can indeed breed a form of contempt! So I guess I would suggest that it pays to always pay attention and avoid the routine!