Volume XXIII, Number 17 (Issue 1126) | April 28, 2025
Creatures of Habit
Few will deny we are creatures of habit. We like our routines – some of them have become so ingrained that we do not recognize them as habits. For instance, fold your arms. Now, refold them in the opposite pattern. For most of you that is going to feel a bit uncomfortable. That is so because you have always crossed them in the same pattern – right over left or left over right – barring some past trauma to an arm or shoulder. Such fixed patterns can be helpful as well as comfortable. I say “helpful” because they enable us to come as close to multi-tasking as is humanly possible.
Unless and until you have small children in the house, in which case all bets are off. Small children are, of course, antithetical to anything resembling a routine. Yes, our morning and evening routines might differ by the day of the week, but there are definite patterns that we adhere to as if on autopilot. Thus, allow that routine to be interrupted and you and I can find ourselves showing up to work without a belt, wearing mismatched shoes or socks, having not shaved, or sans an element of our make-up.
Besides the comfort inherent in those periods where we can function on autopilot, they are also some of the best times for problem solving. That is because our conscious brain finds it easy to rest in those windows, thereby allowing our subconscious brain to do its thing – solve vexing problems. You might recognize it as the phenomenon that occurs at times while we are asleep. With our conscious mind in a quiet state, our subconscious gets to work. It is akin to RAM and ROM. Out subconscious, or ROM has a permanent record of all that we have ever seen, read, experienced. Only many of us struggle to find it when we need it because our personal search engine is quite inferior to that of Google. However, when our RAM is quiet, the things contained in our “historical tapes” can be accessed more readily. Those quiet-time interludes are great when it comes to problem solving. I am guessing it has happened to you just as it has to me. We wake in the
middle of the night with a solution to a problem that had been confounding us during the day – realizing in that moment it is the solution. Provided we have the discipline to make a quick note to self on our phone or a piece of paper, when we do fall back asleep, we can rest comfortably in the knowledge we can easily access that solution the next morning. However, if we fail to create that file label at that moment, the next morning we awake knowing we had a solution only our RAM or conscious mind cannot recall what it was.
The side trip I just took us on notwithstanding, what I am saying is we really like our routines. So, imagine my current consternation having to create a bunch of new ones. You see, last week we had to move out of our home for an extended period while work is being done there. For the next six to eight weeks at least, Sandy and I and our two dogs will be staying in a hotel about four miles from our home. During this interval, the four of us will be obliged to form new patterns. Those changes will range from when and where I walk the dogs to a new setting for my morning devotional, altered meal times and likely, some unfamiliar places. In short, a lot more dining out and to go meals are in the cards. I will also miss my favorite chair for watching TV and napping. The list goes on and not just for me.
In sharing this I am not seeking any sympathy. It really is little more than a temporary nuisance. Thus, my objective is to remind us of all about how stressful and uncomfortable it can be to step outside our comfort zones. However, if we can think of it as an adventure, the opportunity to do and learn new things, or a practice test without the grade having to count, then perhaps it will not feel quite as unsettling.
Soli Deo Gloria
“The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.” Proverbs 18:15
J. Keith Hughey
Mobile: (210)260-0955
E-mail: keith@jkeithhughey.com
Website: www.jkeithhughey.com
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Copyright 2025 by J. Keith Hughey. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted for reproduction and redistribution of this essay as provided under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Recent issues of Musings may be found at www.jkeithhughey.com. Your comments are always welcome.