It got me thinking about why I never changed it in the past, you know? I went nine full years with the “one long paragraph” posts… and I guess I never really thought about it. It had become “routine”…

Ah… routine. I love my routines. I have many. I almost always eat the exact same breakfast and lunch. I have for years now. I wear the same clothes for every show with the band. I wear the same clothes at work every day just swapping out the suit coats. Yes, I have closets full of the exact same clothes. I have a morning routine that I basically do every single morning. I have set days and times for workouts, yoga, massages, acupuncture, haircuts, and chiropractic care. These are just off the top of my head. I write these posts every Sunday morning, too.

When I started writing these posts there weren’t always on Sunday mornings. They were just on the weekends – there were also Saturday morning posts as well. Which evolved into just Sunday morning posts. I guess I needed it to be a bit more organized. And that’s how routines start, right?… you try a few things, find what you like, when you like to do it and you just stick with it…

This works great for routines that serve us. All my fitness routines are important to me. I missed a couple of my normal massage appointments recently and I could certainly feel it. Same thing with yoga, which was extremely hard yesterday after missed two weeks. There’s a reason that serves me why I have most of my routines set up. To make sure they get done.

Then there are the mindless routines. Like “one long paragraph every week”. I just fell into it. It’s what I did on the first post, and I just kept doing it. Did it serve me, or the people that follow these posts?… not really. It was routine. It was tradition. Hmmm…

This has me thinking about other things I just do without giving them a lot of thought. The internet. Watching TV after dinner. Snacking while watching TV after dinner. Hard candy or gum in the car whenever I’m driving. Listening to the same Sirius/XM channels when I’m driving. I’m sure those lemon drops I have in my car aren’t the most healthy thing on the planet, or the peanut butter filled pretzels right before bedtime, either…

Damn. So many things we do without looking at alternatives.

Will I change anything now that I have this realization?… probably not. But maybe I’ll be a bit more aware, and look for healthier alternatives to present themselves. I do think I’m usually somewhat open to that. I also think my wife just laughed and rolled her eyes when she read the last sentence as well.

(Sigh)…

I love my routines. Both the good and bad ones, really.

But once in a while a routine will run its course and need some alteration. When it gets stale. When it’s not fun anymore. When you find yourself wondering “why do I keep doing this?”… might be time to consider other options.

Like “paragraphs”, for example

As always, I wish you well on your journey. May your routines be the best routines ever and the secret to your long and joyous experience on this planet