I thought spending time alone would give me some breakthrough, that wandering the city streets of Dublin solo would spark a feeling I had never had before.  

But things in Dublin aren’t so different.  

I’ve always appreciated an errand. I followed my mom to CVS and the grocery store too many times as a child for shopping not to be engraved in my habits. When I walk down the aisles sometimes, I think about my mom, crossing things off her list one by one. 

We really aren’t so different.  

Theres something rewarding crossing things off. 

It reduces the impact of the bill when you feel you’ve been productive.  

And it’s hard to not reward yourself with an impulse buy or two after such a strenuous task. 

In Dublin I quickly ran out of socks and was graced with the need to run an errand.  

A sense of purpose pulled me out of bed and into a caffe for a cup of tea.  

As I perused the morning streets, I realized the buzz at the beginning of the day is universal. 

The line of people waiting to get on the bus was just like the one at home. Silent morning workers waiting to start their day.  

It’s not so different.

In the dollar store my eyes lit up for all the same things as when I’m at home.  

Brightly colored bags of chips with interesting flavors, 

Cheap beauty products that I don’t need, 

Stationary that will sit at the bottom of my purse until I clean it out, 

This dollar store was not so different, 

Not any different than what I was used to. 

Sure, prices may be lower, and items may be fresh to my eyes, but it was familiar.  

How could I be out of place when all of my favorite things are still in theirs? 

Running errands wasn’t any different because I was in a different place. 

Sure, the walk might have felt new, and the passersby are strangers.  

But in no time at all I know things wouldn’t feel different at all.  

Before I realized it, I would know the walk and the people I passed.

I often find that I cling to what I know, habits, people, interests.  

Testing the waters, rocking the boat has never been my cup of tea.  

While I won’t seek out disruption of routine, I know that when things are different, is when things happen.  

When you’re uncomfortable and tested is when you learn. 

But after a week of testing myself the dollar store felt nice.  

Something far from different was what I needed to remind myself that things don’t always have to be different to feel fresh.  

I don’t have to feel stuck by routine or intimidated by new, 

Whether things are different, or not different at all, I know I will take it as it comes. 

And when worst comes to worst, I can always find home in running errands.  

-Ila van Schaik