Habits are useful. If we had to make decisions about every little thing we do every day, we’d never have brain space for anything that requires thought. Doing routine things on autopilot is efficient. But as we age, more and more activities become habitual. Life becomes more routinized. We settle in. And it can feel like the spark is going out.

Which is why breaking even a small habit can feel so significant. One small change—choosing to have lunch on a park bench instead of at your desk; deciding to stop dying your hair, throwing out the battered flatware you accumulated through a gas station giveaway and instead using the good silver for everyday—can lead to any number of good things.

In my case, the breakthrough was a single subway ride. When my husband Michael broke his hip, instead of driving, we started taking the train from Boston, where we live, to New York, where we both grew up and have friends and family. For 10 years, we’d arrive at Pennsylvania Station late on Friday nights and get on the long, long line for a taxi, adding at least another tedious hour to the trip. Eventually, my daughter encouraged us to try the subway, which has a stop right in the station. To our astonishment, it turned out to be an easy 10-minute ride, and, with a roller suitcase, only a breezy three-minute walk from the subway stop to the hotel where we........

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