it's a little late for two years isn't it even though you didn't know it was going to happen today you still had your whole life to prepare for of course you've gotten into the habit of not being prepared and now it's a little late a creature of habit well we all are unfortunately not all of your habits are good ones this was how your day started started gro your neighbor helen is a creature of habit to me but she got up when the alarm went off because barbara that's what she really had in mind when she said it helen is trained herself to know what she's going to do in what order and where the things are to do it with she really doesn't have to think about it she already knows what clothes she's going to wear today as it turned out it was a special day for helen too but she makes a habit of being ready for special days she starts by having a place for things and keeping them there she uses taste in selecting her clothes but more than that she keeps them clean and mended and she's able to match the right skirt with the rights whether this was going to be a special day for you but you hadn't gotten very far with your preparations for it was your whole family asleep know your mother was up had been for an hour go does she have to do this every morning barbara or do your hair me if your mother stopped acting like a second alarm clock for even one day you'd probably think it was a dirty pe such a firm foundation for big one you started your day with no plan at all looking for your hairbrush can't remember where you left it you forgot other important things today you meant to fix that collar but you've gotten in the habit of putting things off there are so many things you plan to do this coming saturday or the one after that let's see you found the algebra notebook you lo the skeet dance you meant to put away in the chest the afgan you started to knit last summer and oh yes the sweater you were looking for you decided to cover the spots on your sweater with a scarf you often do that but you can't forget that the spots are there if you had a habit plan for your morning you might get off to a decent start some day helen had to have a plan and it includes a healthy breakfast and a pleasant word with her parents three always enjoyed mr elliot comments on the news it was time to get started for office and school helen dad would drop her on the way downtown and who could ask for a nicer way to go to school your brother was ready but your father couldn't wait for you or you could have driven to school with him he used to enjoy that drive to your eggs were cold this morning but you had no time to be picky about food or to think about your diet no time for milk or even to say good morning no time for m as usual all your neighbors knew how late it was when you went by your regular dog trot you were late for school this morning but then you're almost always late and you're guilty about it more so because your lateness is habitual you're in a rut with a bad habit and the longer you stick with the habit the deeper the rut gets when you saw hell and you suddenly felt envious but more than that you felt a distaste for your sloppy ways and you knew you could do something about them if only that wasn't a happy thought was it or do you always ground with you were just chatting away with helen when it happened when the day suddenly turned into something special you've never been friends with and tolliver and you've always wanted to be tied down in a crash coming over to my each school year sees new groups forming old ones reforming yours is a changing social world and the opportunities to be part of it must be taken when they arrive you knew this afternoon that you were making a bad impression and you knew how easy it is not to be invited again and how quickly you can be left out of the crowd you were embarrassed by your messy hair in the fingernails you had neglected to clean you worried about the spots on your sweater bother about what really showed up or your habits you didn't find it very pleasant comparing yourself with the others what i said what do you think you were listening to seldom do it's a habit of the order i guess i don't know much about it they were talking about a popular book all your friends were interested seen no you added nothing to that conversation the trouble with me is getting started i always have to force myself to do new things and i'm the same way i didn't even want to go to my first concert because i thought it would be too long here over the music is wonderful i'm going to go to the whole series my mother had to grab me to the museum of i have a wonderful costume exhibit there i got an idea for a new dress code and you've never taken an interest in music or politics or ar isn't the conversation first you didn't talk at all and then you did all the talking conversation is a two way street but for you it's either one way or a dead end unfortunately our faults are often more discussed than our good points and sometimes our good points are completely hidden by our fault but perhaps worst of all is our own disappointment in ourselves and the remarks we in your own room the memory of this day stands between you and your whole pattern of behavior where will you start your complection that starts with soap and water and goes on to regular meals when the right kind of food your hair it's more than just a shampoo when you happen to think of it your clothes not just clean when your mother takes them away from you but  system of cleaning for all of a pattern a network of habits helen checks her clothes for cleaning when she takes them off that's a habit of hers this morning helen took her skirt from the front of the closet tonight she hangs it in the back that's a habit to one on the plus side it gives clothes a chance to hang rests the fabric tonight helen makes a plan for tomorrow on what to wear what to do when to do with design for living helen has the habit of being ready for special days good habits save time and energy and give us greater freedom to do those extra things we want to do a good start but these improvements are not yet happened not by any means they must happen again and again until they fit into the fabric of the days without conscious thought if you try really try you can rule out the poor accidental habits and establish in their place the good habits approved by custom accepted by society across the street helen's light goes out reasonable hours are part of her pattern and you barbara well you've had a hard day but staying awake to think about it won't help  early for a change give yourself a good start on a new day