Repetition Deadens Awareness

The more I see you, the less I see you. If you are honest you know that that happens all of the time. There you are again sitting in the same chair for breakfast, sleeping on the same side of the bed. Pretty soon if I'm not careful I don't really see you there.

We drive the same way to work everyday, pretty soon we really don't see the surroundings. Somebody might ask you about the big construction project in your area. You don't even know what they are talking about even though you drive by there everyday. The only problem is you quit seeing things about five years ago.

When somebody says they know their spouse like the back of their hand, they are really saying that they don't look anymore. How many of you look at the back of your hand? The only time you probably look is when it itches. We start really looking at our loved ones when we find out they are sick or in danger.

On 9/11 what were the people doing who were in those building and on those planes? They were calling the people they loved. I'm sure that many of those people had been very good at telling their loved ones that they loved them and I'm sure that some of the people had not been so good at it. But there can be no doubt that when it became apparent that their lives were in jeopardy the intensity of their feelings for their loved ones increased dramatically.

Don't wait until you find out you or your loved one is sick or in danger. That's not a rule. It doesn't have to be melodramatic or a major expense. It can just be a touch or a brief comment or a quick call. Get in the habit of thinking renewal rather than repetition. Routines turn into ruts and the only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth. Don't let your relationships fall into that grave.