We have been discussing this whole self-perpetuating phenomenon lately.  We are more eager to do what comes easily.  The more we do a thing, the easier it becomes.  This whole year has been a personal challenge to push myself into new or more faithful habits and practices:

Read hard books

Tackle unpleasant home projects, little chunks at a time

Say my prayers

Exercise

Write letters

Tend the yard

Make creative cooking a bigger priority

They are simple things, most of them.  More a matter of consistency and intention than rocket science.  Am I a new woman?  Not completely.  I am however seeing measurable progress in those areas.  Just like the saying goes, all of it is coming easier to me.  Project beginnings are less of a hurdle because I have reason to expect success.  I have been down these same roads and it's gone reasonably well.  Not every day and not all those categories in a single day.  Over time though, I can see my home changing and with it my heart.  

The flipside of this truth is that constant repetition of our vices engrains them every bit as effectively. It's humbling really. Sleep in day after day and see what heroic effort it takes to rise early.  Check mail first thing?  See how quickly your time for reading or reflection evaporate. Make a snide comment?  See how quickly other annoyances come to your attention. 

A day, a life, a whole way of seeing is built choice by choice, by a series of very small decisions. 

 This essay spoke to me today.  In it she articulates the conscious steps her family takes to create a home that sustains and builds up those in it. That list includes the practical – cleaning, decluttering.  Heaven knows we have all heard about that in recent years. She goes on to mention intangibles that are even more instrumental:

What are we consuming – figuratively as well as literally? Garbage in, garbage out y'all. 

Does our speech reveal respect for our home and those in it? Gratitude? 

Do we extend to the others the grace to be their own unique creation or do we balk when they are not mirror images of ourselves? I am not talking about quirky style choices here.  What if those people in your home approach finances or diet or problem solving or stress reduction in entirely different ways?  How do we meet them? Move forward together?

Thinking in these directions goes a long ways towards softening our hearts and appreciating the overwhelming good all around us.  We may have little control over the size of our home, its market value, or the neighborhood.  

How it feels inside is all on us.