I had every intention to sit this morning and then I did something I never do; I forgot to set my alarm. Aside from being annoying and jarring, forgetting to do something I routinely do every night before I get into bed, had the potential to set my day off on the wrong foot. Routine saves me. It gives me a sense of control over those things that we do mindlessly every day. I put my keys, my watch, my badge, my ID card, my gun, in the same place every day. Nothing is going to move without human intervention. And in the morning, I pick them up like I do every day and head to work. But I often find that if I leave one little thing out of the order of things, something else will fall out.

The lesson I take from this is that I have replaced mindfulness with routine. Instead of being present when I set down my keys or set my alarm, I’ve counted on my subconscious to kick in and do it for me. It’s a little daunting to step outside that frame of reference, to thumb my nose at doing things the same way day in and day out. But it’s necessary. Without mindfulness, our lives become mindless. We become complacent and lose the ability to find joy in the uncommon place. I’m going to try and be less routine and more spontaneous. Let’s see where that takes me.