Panera and Change: A Day in the Life Sunday

Driving to Kinkos with the kid, I caught a glimpse of Panera, one of our favorite places in town. You could say we are regular customers: Fuji apple chicken salad and apple puff pastry for me, mac and cheese and iced green tea for her and our orders rarely change - but I digress.

Panera is on our left and I catch a glimpse, turn my head quickly for a double take and then the conversation went something like this:

"It's green and yellow. Panera wasn't always green and yellow, was it Tarah?"

"It was red, Mom."

"Really? Red? Are you sure?"

"I think so, Mom. You never really know what you don't know until it changes."

And there you have it. Another day in the life of me as mother to my daughter who out-insighted me again . . . and over nothing more than a color change on a building. The freakiest thing for me is that she was on to something.

How often do you go through the day doing what we always do, thinking what we always think, seeing what we always see - yet not really seeing anything at all?

I am sure there is an amazing leadership lesson in here but it's Sunday and in my life, a perfect Sunday includes not much more (if I can help it) than tinkering, eating and leaving the intellection behind.

But since I can't completely let the thought go let's not take it too deep this morning and consider this . . . what item would you miss if your favorite breakfast spot changed their menu?

Photo credit iStockphoto