‘Keep Taking The Next Stitch — Without Stitches, You Just Have Rags’

‘Keep Taking The Next Stitch — Without Stitches, You Just Have Rags’

If you ever feel bored doing the same thing over and over every day, it’s important to remember how valuable our routines really are.

Photo by Markus Grossalber

Our daily lives are comprised of routines and habits — some good, some bad — and without them, our lives wouldn’t progress at all. You might feel bored doing the same things over and over, but your routines are what carry you forward. Anne Lamott, author of Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope and Repair, explains a different way to look at our daily routines:

You have to keep taking the next necessary stitch, and the next one, and the next. Without stitches, you just have rags. And we are not rags.

Our routines make up who we are. We need structure and repetition in our lives to keep us on track. Of course, if you’re really having a hard time, there’s nothing wrong with switching your routine in some way. Just don’t let the idea of routines bog you down.

Keep on stitching and remind yourself that good routines develop discipline, and discipline makes you capable of creating more good routines in the future. You don’t get somewhere with a giant leap, but with tiny steps.

Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope and Repair [Amazon via Brain Pickings]


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