Yes, we have a new puppy. Why in the world, you ask, would I be writing here about our new puppy? Well, in the less than 48 hours we have had said puppy he may not have learned much, but I have!

Something like a new puppy gives us insight into just how set in our ways we are. Our youngest dog, prior to this is nine years old. Our other dog, who died around Christmas time was 13 years old. A new puppy has completely made us rethink our lives.

Well, ok, maybe I am being a bit dramatic, not completely rethink life, but make some major adjustments for sure.

Look, I know I am set in my ways (my wife and kids take every opportunity to let me know this). HOWEVER, I did not think I had gotten so steeped in what I do that this would have had so much of an impact.

Yes, I get up most mornings at a certain time.
Yes, I shower, get dressed and go through a routine first thing in the morning.
Yes, I go to my local coffee house and have a few cups, read and write a little.
Yes, then I go to work and do my professional thing.

I could go on, but you get the gist. Nothing much changes. I am driven by my habits. I knew this. I knew this too well having read Charles Duhigg’s powerful book “The Power of Habit.”

I guess I forgot.

No, I did not forget, I fell back into my habits!

Which, I know, I am a creature of. However, this new puppy has thrown all that in the washer and put it on spin cycle (along with all the pee mop up towels). Luckily, my wife teaches schools and will be out in a little over a week which will allow me to blissfully fall back into my habits.

Or will it/should it?

I have been assessing myself a bit more of late. I know, if you have read much of my writing you will say, “Hey Rod, you have been doing that for the last 10-20 years now. You should be a master at it!”

Ok, point taken. I have a lot of great ideas. My follow through is just not the best, ok!

However, much like I wrote when I turned 55 last year (and am thinking again now at 56), if I don’t start to change something I will be laying in my death bed thinking, “you know, tomorrow I am going to stop eating bread and sugar….in Heaven….oh, wait, I get milk and honey there….never mind!”

So now, a year later, the kids are all married (how did that happen!) they are all graduated (thank God that happened!) and they are headed off to their new lives very far away (what just happened?).

If I do not begin right freakin now I ain’t ever going to make it happen! Maybe the new puppy is a tipping point for me. I would really like it to be. I need to do more around the house, help the wife out, clean things up a bit, get rid of a bunch of stuff. I need my butt in motion too, take off a few more pounds, really get off the bread and sugar so pre-diabetic does not become diabetic. Take time to actually engage with my friends instead of just a random call or text. I have a lot of old habits to break!

But as Charles’ book denotes, take small steps. Put something in to replace the habit one wants to break and be consistent with it, purposeful. I probably should list them all down so I know which ones to tackle first. Then I might be afraid I would need to go back 56 years and start all over again. Maybe just list the big ones…ok, maybe one big one and a few small ones first.

Hey, you gotta start somewhere….uggg, gotta go clean up some pee….