I love books. Moreover, I love stories with interesting characters. The book club selected for our next meeting two detective stories, one of which is Agatha Christie’s “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.” At the beginning of the book, where Poirot first appears, he converses with Dr. Sheppard after throwing a giant vegetable marrow (gourd) over the fence.
During their encounter, Dr. Sheppard tells Poirot about his dream to travel but explains that he had to defer his desire, although he had inherited money that would have allowed him to do so. Poirot asked Dr. Sheppard why he did not take his legacy and follow his dreams to travel. This comment struck a chord.
“The chains of habit. We work to attain an object, and the object gained, we find that what we miss is the daily toil.”
For some in Chapter X, the chains of habit bind us to our previous life; for no better reason than losing the familiarity of our daily life, purpose and routine. Our habits can be additive to a fulfilling life (exercise, self-care, etc.) or can keep us from moving forward courageously to explore new parts of ourselves and our capabilities.
The first step is to recognize which habits help and which ones don’t. Breaking habits that keep us bolted to our past lives can be challenging, but with awareness and intention, we can learn to shift from old restrictive thoughts and habits to new, interesting and meaningful actions.
Let me know your thoughts.
