As long as I have had him, my cat has always devoured chicken like there might be no tomorrow.

So today – he won't even look at chicken.

Perhaps it's too much of a good thing.

Or just perhaps he fancies a bit of a change from the routine!

When I was small, family holidays went in “cycles”.  There was the Cornwall cycle which lasted a good 5 years.  And the Wales cycle which was about 7 years I think.  And then the Yorkshire and Northumberland cycle which seemed to go on for ever.

And, trust me, it wasn't just the area, it was the exact same location and the exact same caravan or self-catering cottage every time.

As a small child it was reassuringly comforting and familiar.  As an older child and then a teenager it was unendingly boring and frustrating beyond words.

It happens.

Just sometimes, having used a particular technique for years in coaching or a creative approach in therapy to positive effect for the client and a sense of fulfilment for me, there has been a day when somehow it just didn't fit together.

The sand tray work became too much of a good thing perhaps.  Or I somehow lost track of the process with some creative artwork.

So then it's about recognising when it's right to battle through with the same, and when it's right to try something new.

Right now, I need some new creative push in meditation and mindfulness.  And I haven't quite found the new element yet.

That place in the middle can be a bit scary.  A friend recently sent me a card showing a squirrel eating a nut, balancing each hind leg on different branches of the tree – almost hanging in mid-air in that space in the middle.

But when change comes from within, there's a need to recognise that space, that process of change and allow the new elements to emerge, whether that's in life or clinical work, or whatever we are involved in.

However much you might like your chicken dinner, there are times when you need to change the menu!

Even for the cat!