Rituals and Patterns

I am a creature of habits.   Routine gives me comfort, I guess. 

I was thinking about patterns and habits as I ran this morning.  I ran my 5 miles (actually 5.25 miles (~8.5 km)).  As usual, it felt good to pray the Rosary as I ran.  It helped me to center my mind and my thoughts.  And, expending the energy helped me to feel more relaxed. 

My morning breakfast ritual (other than Sunday) has been for at least a dozen years now (if not longer), to have a bowl of high fiber cereal with blueberries, and my preference is to allow the milk to soak into the cereal so it is what my wife calls "soggy".  She abhors soggy cereal, and will not put milk on cereal until moments before she eats it.   I am happy to let the bowl of cereal sit for an hour or more before I will eat it.  Also for at least a dozen years, I have eaten a cup of yogurt each morning and a banana. 

Another habit that I recognize in myself is in regards to the band I play in.   Our major rehearsal day is always on Monday.  With the timing of rehearsal, I do not get home that evening until usually around 10:15pm.  As I tend to not like to eat before rehearsal, My wife has a plate saved for me when I get home.  The late return from the high energy rehearsal also makes me feel quite wide awake and talkative, and it is typical for me to stay up on Monday evenings until usually 12:30am or 1:00am before I am ready to go to sleep. 

It does make it difficult to get up to run at 5:00am on Tuesday morning.  But, I cannot use it as an excuse.  But, luckily, today.... like most Tuesdays.... I can shed some of my tiredness with my run and do "ok" through the day.   But, I do look forward to a more normal bedtime tonight.   My wife and I have a normal pattern of going to sleep usually between 10:30 and 11:30pm other days of the week. 

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