The Joy of Repetition

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“Your life is an occasion. Rise to it.” – Suzanne Weyn

Recently I was talking to my 2-year-old about potty training. His reply was “I already went to a toilet.” And it’s true – he has gone in the toilet once.  About a month ago he got lucky when he wanted to try to potty before getting in the bath.

I tried to explain that there are many things we have to do repeatedly in life. So often I want to declare something to be “DONE!” only to have to repeat the task so I understand my son’s irritation about having to go potty again and again and again!

Talking with my mom about this, she flipped the question and asked, “How many things do we only do once in our lives?” Which I thought was a great way to illustrate that most things in life are done repeatedly. Even our mistakes take work not to repeat.

In addition to school and work, there’s also sleeping, eating, exercising, bathing, trimming our nails and hair, doing the laundry, cleaning. The other day I thought I’d swept the entire house of dirty laundry and gotten it all done – only to discover 2 hours later a small pile of dirty clothes stashed away by my 6-year-old.

But since the ultimate “DONE” is death, I try to celebrate that doing things repeatedly is a gift. A gift of the ongoing nature of life, a poetic reminder that life is a cycle, an opportunity to find a new song in the repetition.

And in my favorite example, breathing, my life has been measurably improved once I started noticing that every breath brings renewal and fresh air. Even in this task that is regulated by the autonomic nervous system and takes no real talent to do, can be improved when done with intention.

So, yes, my darling son. We have to do things over and over again. And if we are paying attention, we can even find some extra joy in these precious cycles of life.

(featured photo from Pexels)

19 thoughts on “The Joy of Repetition”

    1. What an interesting comment, Fred! I was thinking as I typed this out of including prayer and meditation in the list of repeated things but those bring me such immediate peace that I didn’t think they belonged on my list of chores. Thanks for reading and commenting! Hope all is well in the Great Smoky Mountains!

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  2. An absolutely beautiful observation Wynne. We repeat many many aspects in our lives. There is comfort in the cycle of repetition. Just as in nature, flowers follow the cyclic rhythms of nature, so it is with us. And every season, every breath offers something new and fresh. We just have to observe and honour it. And there we find joy.

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      1. That is such a deep compliment Wynne. Thank you very much. I don’t think of myself as a joy expert. We all struggle a bit with finding joy sometimes. I do however try to remain as focused and cognizant of a slightly higher vibration despite the distractions. Love and hugs ❤️

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  4. A great man I met often repeated to interviewers that he was an “enemy of routine.” As he aged, he thoughtfully focused his time on the things he valued most. Your are very wise, Wynne.

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    1. What an inspirational comment, Dr. Stein. Thank you for this quote from a life well-lived and for the compliment. May we all come to know what we value most and thoughtfully focus on it. I know that on my list of what I value is this interaction with people like you who have graciously taken the time to read what I’ve written and to add their wisdom in the comments!

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  5. I think you handled this situation well and with empathy and good humour too. Kids are so funny in that they hate to feel like their time is being wasted.

    My T is the same too, like when it comes to worksheets. I try to use Mario Odssey, his favourite video game, of an example of when repetition is great. He plays the same levels over and over again and has now become quite the pro. I’m not sure he quite bought my baloney but I did see him think about it for a few seconds. 😆

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  6. I’m laughing about your comment about kids not liking to feel that their time is being wasted. So funny!

    Brilliant strategy to use video games as an example, Ab! He might not have paused long but sometimes I think just giving them some reasoning helps them work through their frustration until they can find their own.

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  7. So very true! Repetition is beautiful if we wish to inculcate a habit. I remember reading somewhere the wonder of the number 21-if you’d like to make something a part of our routine or stop something do it for continuous 21 days and voila, it becomes a part of life.

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  8. “But since the ultimate “DONE” is death, I try to celebrate that doing things repeatedly is a gift. A gift of the ongoing nature of life, a poetic reminder that life is a cycle, an opportunity to find a new song in the repetition.” Your words are a perfectly timed gift, Wynne. Thank you for this poetic reminder 💜

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    1. What a lovely comment to hear – that my musings were timed just right for you! And funny that we need reminders about repetition but I slip out of the practice and have to get back into perspective too! 🙂 ❤

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  9. I love this phrase “a poetic reminder that life is a cycle” so true. Now some unsolicited potty-training tips. Fruit Loops cereal drop a few in the toilet bowl when your little human must go. My little human thought it was a game, and for every time he went and was successful there was a reward of four sugar-free gummy bears. We decided on four: one for remembering to go, one for going, one for flushing, and one for handwashing.

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