Honing my Habits

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I am trying to change a few of my habits, which I will share with you here so that my dedication to changing them becomes more formal. So, if you see me doing the opposite of any of these, feel free to remind and correct me, gently:

1.) I will now only lock my car from outside, using the key button, instead of from inside using the door button. I have locked my keys in my car three times in the past two years, which is not that much, but enough for me to have a locksmith’s personal number on speed dial and for him to recognize me while stopping at the gas station. Enough is enough.

2.) I am working on inserting just a bit of silence in between my sentences. Since I started filming yoga videos, I’ve noticed that when I’m nervous, I add “um” or “and” at the end of every sentence, which causes it to run immediately into the next one. Then I end up starting the new sentence before I’m exactly sure of what I want to say. It’s a mess! I’m starting to take a breath in my videos and in normal conversation.

3.) I promise to be more decisive in my ordering at food and drink establishments. This could be a big time saver. I’m usually explicit about what I want, at first: “I’ll take a regular coffee, please.” Then it starts to waver: “What size?" "Um. Medium.” “Medium or dark roast?” What does that mean? Will choosing one make me sound like I know more about coffee than I actually do? “Ummm, medium. I guess.” “Room for cream?” I never get cream, but I hesitate, “Ummmmm, no.” “Anything else?” Oh boy. Do I want anything else? “Um….” Time to look at the goods. Ooo donuts. “Ummm…” Should I eat a donut today? I haven’t eaten many sweets lately. “Ok, I’ll take a donut.” “For here or to-go?” “Uh… to-go.” “Would you like a bag for the donut?” JESUS CHRIST SO MANY QUESTIONS. “Ummmmmm….” A bag? Do I need a bag? “Yeah. A bag would be good.”

I have gone to a lot of coffee shops over the past few weeks, so who knows how much time has been wasted already. These LA baristas are alert and on point, so I know it’s not them, it’s me. I’m working on the pause, quickly followed by a clear and direct response.