Here we are, middle of April. March lasted five years, April is clicking by with all of us waiting for the world to make itself right again. We are staying at home, working in and outside of the home, wearing masks, glove usage all wrong, cleaning like crazy, trying to stay well, fears of getting sick, fears of financial loss. We aren’t able to socialize, to be able to touch others, we miss the movies and dinners out, we miss being around people.
Now in the scheme of things, all of these seem so minute for what we are dealing with in this world. We are worrying we will get sick, someone we love will get sick, just so much that is going on. So we now are in social isolation and people generally are social people. All of this made me think of what we take as everyday habits for granted. The habit of going to work, expecting our wanted items on the shelf in the grocery store. The habit of seeing our friends and family whenever we want to. Dressing up for your date, that all encompassing hug. Walking in to work or home without being hosed off! There are so many things we do out of habit on a daily basis. We take those habits for granted and now they are gone. Some of them are gone. There are so many things we take for granted. We have hang ups and hangovers. We have so many habits in our lives and we just count on those habits to get us through the day.
Maybe during all of this we try to think about our good habits, our routines, the habits, the people and things we think we will always have. In my mind it seems that way. Atleast I know it does for me. I get overwhelmed with life and responsibities. There are bills, work, kids, house, family, life. And yeah there are times I want to run away from it. I want a break. I want to just be able to not be stressed. BUT I have so much to be thankful for. I have so many hangups, over thinking and I have so many habits but such heartfelt habits. Habits I don’t want to take for granted.
I want to make some better habits. Habits that make me feel more thankful and habits of being present more. I want to be someone’s habit I guess. Habits are things we repeat. So maybe we make it a habit to be more thankful, a habit to do our jobs like it is our own business, a habit to tell people what they mean to us and not a habit of telling them off. A habit to love like there isn’t a tomorrow and a habit of being present. A habit of speaking what we feel, a habit to laugh more. Let’s try to get rid of the bad habits as best we can. Yeah there is the bad habits we all know about–smoking, over eating, over drinking, anger, sloth like behavior. What about the other habits? Over thinking, putting ourselves down, stressing over things, past relationship hurts we hang on to, the habit of judging others and the list goes on.
Through all these struggles and trials, maybe it could be used as a reset button. That we step back and see what and who is important. That we look at our lives and those that are in our lives. That we make a habit to find something good in everyday. I am giving myself this pep talk as much as anyone else. We all feel like we are swimming in our own mud hole. No one else can imagine or know the struggle, but they do. Their struggle may not be the same in each mud hole but there is struggle. We make a habit of thinking we have to carry our struggles alone. We don’t. Stand up, sling that mud off, know that you are not doing this life alone. Make a habit of letting someone know what they mean. Make a habit to step outside of your bubble and see what others are going through. Pop that bubble of judgemental behavior and maybe look at the whole picture. Maybe we should just make a habit of being better people. I stumble and fall everyday, I swim through mud, I get caught up in my own world. I am guilty, but perhaps I am going to use this reset button too. Let’s make a habit out of being the best version we can be. Make a habit of laughing more, kissing more, loving more, just being more than our habits and hangups! Just a thought…..
