Hooks in my Routine
A hook is a regular occurrence in your life that initiates a routine. It is not clock based but instead it is based on actions, location, or situation. They are figurative places on which we figuratively hang our habits. Many of the hooks I keep in my life are crucial for bringing me peace. All hooks are neglected at some point whether for a day or for years. Because they are enforced by routine, re-initiating a hook is quite doable.
At various points in my life I have used the hook of waking up to practice gratitude. I pray 3 thank yous before I get ready for work. I aim to make these thank yous simple and avoid the many stressful topics that await me every morning. I share gratitude for things like a good bed, a strong body, a warm flat.
A loved one who helps me care for the world recently gifted me a reusable water bottle. I remember to fill it at the end of my packing hook. This hook includes putting some change in my pocket and placing my wallet, phone, pens, and keys in my pants. Then I check my bag for the materials I will need to teach the day´s lessons. On an organized day, I fill my water bottle right after I pack my bag. This prepares me for a more comfortable hour-long commute to work and gives me a ready-packed drink for my big breakfast.
On a work day the park is my next crucial hook. I look at my phone on the way out my front door to check messages and reply to anything pressing. Anything that is undone in the three minutes it takes me to reach the park must wait until the metro. My phone goes away and I take time to think. I walk through the park for 10 minutes on the way to my metro. I try to find one coherent reflection for the walk whether it is a decision I need to make in the next few days, or an evaluation of the recent past.
Arrival is one of my favorite hooks on a work day. As soon as I get to my school I purchase a large 2 Euro breakfast at the school cafe. I take it outside and eat in silence. I do not allow myself to do any problem solving or planning during breakfast. It is a time for stillness and for waving at any students that pass by my picnic. My favorite memories of my arrival hook are the cold winter mornings when the sun was rising just as I finished my breakfast. The darkness lent an extra layer of peace, and the steaming heat of the breakfast made it all the more beautiful in the winter chill.
Ideally, the last hook in my day is saying goodbye to my fiance and her mom before I walk home to sleep. We talk to God for a few minutes together to ask for guidance and share gratitude. I give my mother-in-law two Spanish kisses and my fiance walks me to the door. I kiss her goodnight and she waves to me from the window when I get downstairs.
I cherish the peace of these special hooks in my routine. Using them brings normalcy to the very abnormal situation of living outside of my birth country. I feel a holistic wellness resulting from their practice.
Special thanks to Bruce Bundy for helping me to learn to identify and use hooks in my routine.
