Patterns, rhythms and habits

The superstition that things, both good and bad but mostly bad, come in clusters is common in most cultures, though the particular number may vary. Here in the US we tend to say they come in threes and we can cite several examples, usually of celebrity deaths or tragedies within our own circles. Such folklore is built over centuries as people looked for patterns. Once such a pattern is found, we reach a certain level of comfort by being able to say "that's over, there won't be anymore, at least for awhile."

Before finding patterns we live with rhythms. There is a rhythm in our world to which we all tune in. How we do that, I believe, is part of our connection to the universe and one another, for it is the rhythm of the natural world that we all have in common. The four elements of earth, air, fire and water. The four seasons, different though they may be depending on where one lives. The movement of the sun and moon and earth. The sounds of wildlife. Bela Bartok, and I'm sure other composers before and after him, used the rhythm of birdcalls as inspiration. I once heard that the taunting musical phrase children use in a teasing manner and which you can only imagine since you can't hear me going 'nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah' is present in all cultures.

Habits can be based on patterns. I certainly plan my morning and evening commutes based on what I've experienced as routine traffic patterns. Leaving my house five minutes late can make a fifteen minute difference on the road. There are those who are differently wired for whom patterns drive an internal necessity. It may manifest itself in the need to wash their hands a certain number of times or other behaviors that observers may label weird or even disturbing but which makes total sense to the hand-washer.

In the patterns, rhythms and habits of my life I find that I've gone from comfort to comfortable. There is a constant and a contentedness which is satisfying and even gratifying. When we are in that state, the challenge can be to remember our universal connection and those whose patterns are unsettled, whose rhythms are driven by danger and fear and who, in order to remain safe, cannot develop habits. 

This week I've heard a lot of people saying that it's hard to believe Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Here in the midwest that is true because El Nino has disrupted our normal November rhythm. Our collective balance is a little squeed. We are preparing to enter a holiday season with all the November, December and January festivities and have limited time to meet end of the year goals. All that places additional stressors on our patterns, rhythms and habits. I am hoping to maintain my current harmony. One thing that will help with that is a daily to-do list that, besides all the tasks required to keep me on course, also remind me to breathe, rest, and, in the spirit of the season, help ease someone whose pattern has been disrupted by one or two of those bad things as they wait for the third to drop. Perhaps you'd like to adjust your own routines to do something similar. If you do, let me know how that works out.


Marilyn