Creature of habit

My father has been combing his hair with the same black brush after a shower every morning for over 50 years now. He applies oil over wet hair and uses the comb to set his hair with the left-sided partition, then allowing it to air-dry. He does the same even when he’s travelling. Nothing anyone in the family does or says can break that habit.

I confess. I’m a creature of habit too. When I wake up, I sit still for a minute before getting out of bed. I always brush my teeth starting left bottom and then make my way to right top in very systematic, organised brush strokes.

I like my morning cuppa from the same mug. I wipe my wet hands with a towel starting, always, with the left hand in the same manner, in the same direction every single time. While driving to MG Road, I use only one route, not wanting to change or try, maybe, a faster way to get there. When I get to work, I draw the blinds, unlock my drawers and switch on the comp — in the exact same order every workday morning with a scary lack of deviation.

At my grandmother’s, they order masala dosa for breakfast every Sunday morning from the same corner restaurant since the time they moved into that house 30 years ago. There’s no thought of changing that routine. They feel no need to. 

We’re all creatures of habit. There are some anchors we hold on to so that our lives run smoothly day after day. There’s a definite, positive purpose to daily habits, and that is to relieve pressure.
Habits make short work of acts that need not be re-invented. Sticking to a fixed morning routine means that it saves time and makes it easier for us to get out of the house with minimum effort. There’s no need for too much thought to go into these routine actions. You’re on automatic. It is an economical use of your strength.

Habits are, at first, calming jobs that take the stress out of daily activity. In time, when they become rituals that feed the spirit. When the habit has become a ritual and when the ritual has become stale, it’s a signal that it’s time to move to the next step. It will then be time to shift gears and bring in new perspective to doing things, a new way of living life. Till then, habits keep us sane.

Sumaa Tekur works with DNA.Sunday