Watching Ships, Gloucester (1875) by Winslow Homer
(watercolour and gouache on paper)
Thanks to another Friend for sending us this beautiful art
~*~
"Not all habits are helpful, and bad habits can become cruel masters that are detrimental to our well-being. Smoking, drinking, and taking drugs can rapidly develop into habits sabotaging our health and our relationships with others. While the dangers of addictive drugs are becoming more obvious each day, sometimes habits that are much more subtle can be just as detrimental to our development into successful individuals. . . .
By the time a behavior pattern becomes a habit, it can feel so familiar that it seems to be a natural part of us, but, in fact, habits are learned and practiced. Just as we have learned them over time, we can "unlearn" these practiced behaviors. By observing yourself, you can become aware of the habitual ways you think and act that could be harmful. When you're conscious of a habit you want to change, you can unlearn it by replacing the automatic behavior with a different, more thoughtful response. You may make mistakes or slip back into old ways, but it's important not to give up. Simply correct your behavior as soon as you're aware that you've slipped back into the old habit. Determine how to be the master of your habits, so that your habits can be useful servants to you."
~John Marks Templeton
(Worldwide Laws of Life)
~*~
"The soul grows into lovely habits as easily as into ugly ones, and the moment a life begins to blossom into beautiful words and deeds, that moment a new standard of conduct is established, and your eager neighbors look to you for a continuous manifestation of the good cheer, the sympathy, the ready wit, the comradeship, or the inspiration, you once showed yourself capable of. Bear figs for a season or two, and the world outside the orchard is very unwilling you should bear thistles."
~Kate Douglas Wiggin
(Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm)
~*~
"A habit
is something you can do without thinking--
which is why most of us
have so many of them."
~Frank A. Clark