Thank You for Habits of Creatures and Creatures of Habit

Routine is the corner stone of smooth transitions and change. It keeps the world from turning upside down when we phase into a new chapter of our lives.

Routine keeps cycles and seasons in perspective and prevents us from floating away or falling off the cliffs of transformation with a clunk into something unfamiliar.

It seems the nature of change comes in swarms and it can be overwhelming to keep up sometimes.

No matter how maniacal life can get, I still need to feed the cat every morning and I like that.

I like the little rituals I have established to start my day, the routines that keep me grounded and centered while the world spins outside the sanctuary that is my personal existence.

Some folks have too much structure in their lives. It holds onto them like a giant, bionic leech and keeps them from swimming out of the labor pool to the river bank so they can look at things from a different perspective. Some folks adhere to such stringent routines that there is no room for the chaos of change to effect them—at least, they think so.

Structure is a good thing, it holds the world together.

But flexibility and adaptability are also very valuable in the unpredictable circumstance that is life.

Some folks are too flexible, over adaptable. They experience their lives without major goals or any regular routines so they can be swept away by the tiniest of hurricanes or drown in a teaspoon of water containing no ounce of prevention.

 My own life is not structured in the sense that I have a boss to report to, a family to raise, or a corporation to inflate into an exploitive conglomerate at the top of that apparition called capitalism, but I do have some things that I choose to maintain so I can ride the winds of change while standing moderately close to the helm.

Mornings and evenings are my time for habits and rituals. The middle of the day belongs to inspiration, surprise, spontaneity, and tangible fruition of my morning and evening  rituals—one of those rituals is daydreaming which is key to developing creativity for art, productiveness, and a happy life with a modicum of structure.

Wouldn’t it be great if every employer required a daydream hour to be integrated into the work day. I mean, it is almost as important as a lunch hour and two ten minute breaks. Think of the productivity that could come from that.

Well, actually it would probably induce some kind of revolution if people were allowed to think for themselves for an entire hour a day. Maybe thirty minutes?

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~ by leakelley on September 24, 2008.