Darn Stibah

What is it about habits that makes one do them? At points, they are annoying yet they have the capability to be endearing in the right circumstances. Even though they may go against one's desired goals, even detrimental to one's well-being, they are historically hard to quit. At times, they are so ingrained that one does not ever realize they are practicing it at all.

For instance, Coffee Bean (and apropros to her name) fidgets on a regular basis. So much so that it seems she can move her car solely on the energy her legs make a la the Flintstones. Posh has an infamous predilection to bite her nails. She luxuriates when her nails are longer and more fashionable, yet that goal can't stop her overpowering habit.

Among my many bad habits, one is definitely overanalyzation. At its worst, it makes me waste time and drives me slowly up the wall. The most benign topic will have me hamstrung, inactive, and stuck in a mire that keeps me from doing the things I want, nee need to do.

And how does a simple practice escalate to the point that its characteristic of your being? Like Posh's nailbiting, habits are often painful. Yet it takes extreme dedication and cognizance to break them. If I touch a hot stove, I don't do it again. But I realize my habits keep me from where I need to be, but I keep doing them.

They even slip under the radar at times. I suck my tongue but someone always has to point out that I'm doing it. The boys at the place I work have detrimental habits. Some continually provoke their peers to act out to the point that they get in minor to major scuffles. But they don't realize they're doing it. What a scary proposition.

The more and more I experience, the more I realize that the human mind is amazing in its complexity. There is no way that the random alignment of elements in a primordial ooze is the source of its creation. On the list of conundrums of human behavior, habits have to be at the top of the list. Figuring out how to maximize delectableness while minimizing calories in packaged food is nice, but those brains should be working on why we all waste our time and energy on those prickly, little habits