Google Growth and Resisting Routine

geralt via Pixabay

So, I did it. I clicked on the button that said "Try the new Blogger." I'd be lying if I said I didn't hold my breath for a second while doing so.

Not bad. It took me less than a minute to get acclimated and I had a moment of panic when I couldn't immediately find a feature I use often but, so far, I can't complain. The interface is cleaner and it's unmistakably Google, with the task bar at the top of the page reminiscent of Google docs.

With the exception of Blogger, which I much prefer to other blogging platforms I've used, I've been slow to embrace Google. Okay, "embrace" is generous as I have, in fact, approached it kicking and screaming in some areas. Only a few weeks ago, as I graded assignments for students who earned incompletes for spring semester, did I actually utter positive words about Google docs and only because I liked how easy it made it for me to share feedback. 

Then, last night, I put my toe in the deep end (anyone who has ever heard me declare my feelings about Google might want to sit down for this). As I was working on my clearing the junk from my inbox while watching an episode of The West Wing for the third time, I came across one of the newsletters I subscribe to. It had the subject line "Why would you want to get Google certified?" 

And I saved it. I didn't open it immediately (I was watching Sorkin, thank you very much), but it piqued my interest.

Yep. I'm as surprised as you are. Probably more than any of you who had no idea that I harbored a Google grudge until you read this post. 

The older I get, the more I realize how much I like to stick to what I know -- sometimes without good reason, or any reason at all. While I was never highly adventurous, I was never a shrinking violet, either, so I find this realization thought-provoking. While I don't see myself skydiving or trying aerial yoga any time soon, I also want to make sure that I don't get too set in my ways. Being open to new possibilities is perhaps more important as we get older because it's the main way we build new pathways in our brains and keep ourselves cognitively healthy. Routines have their place, of course -- they help us get things done efficiently, and routines built around eating and sleeping help keep us healthy -- but too much routine can be stifling. And it can, in my opinion, make us grow old before our time.

prawny via Pixabay

So, later on today, I'll open that email. I may or may not decide to delve more deeply into the world of Google, but that's actually less important than the fact that I decided to consider it in the first place. Keeping an open mind is the first step out of routine and into new adventures, no matter how small.

Speaking of breaking routine, today I'm leaping out of routine and back into something I've been ready to do since sometime in March. I'm getting my hair cut and I can't wait.

Baby steps.