Originally published on 9-12-10…at 4 a.m…

Actually have been up since around 3 off-and-on…chalk it up to my Lucy who has been very restless tonight.  So…since I’m up, you might as well know what’s going on in my head…

Lucy is a funny dog.  She has taught herself a trick that seems to only apply when I pick up my cellphone.  In her toy box are a couple of aluminum food dishes that we gave up using for food because she would pick them up and spill food and water all over.  Now, whenever I even just pick up my cellphone, she grabs one of those dishes and chases it around on the floor, making all sorts of racket.  She also seems to enjoy just lying there and licking it–not sure what that’s about.  It’s really funny because I don’t even have to be talking on the phone–all I have to do is pick it up and she starts with the dish and doesn’t stop until I put the phone down again.  Totally self-taught…

So, Ive been thinking about what habits I have that are on auto-pilot:  I automatically close the garage door when I leave–so automatic is this that I find myself not remembering having done it and have been known to turn my car around and drive back to verify that, indeed, I did do it.  Same thing with my computer at work–we’re never supposed to leave our computers unlocked if we walk away from our desks.  At first this was really hard for me to do, but now, it’s so automatic that I (once again) have to go back to my desk to see if I locked it.

I’m trying to think if I have any habits that are programmed responses to some outward stimuli.  Could probably come up with something if it wasn’t so early in the morning, but am at a loss at the moment.

However, it occurs to me that I should put some other practices into place so that they become automatic…

Reading my Bible…                                                                                                                                                              Exercise… Blogging… Putting dirty dishes in the dishwasher… Clearing off my dining room table at least once every day…

I’m sure there are many others, but sleep is coming back and I’ve got another hour before I REALLY have to get up.


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