Familiarity is an interesting creature.  Most people cherish it.  Flock to it. We keep our familiar routines in our familiar surroundings with familiar people.  We maintain the status quo because it is comfortable.  I certainly like familiarity.  In fact, I thrive on familiarity.  When my life follows a predictable and normal schedule, I am at my prime.  I am the most productive and the happiest.

 In fact, over the last three days I have had a significant amount of free time.  Summer is special because of this--there's more free time.  Along with familiarity, I really value my free time, so I try to use it as efficiently as possible.  You will never meet a person who spends so much of her free time thinking about how to best spend her free time...kind of counter productive. So, when I have free time, I like to spend it doing things I know will be enjoyable and relaxing.  This usually means watching TV or movies, but as I am a creature of habit and familiarity, I am hesitant to try new things, new shows, new movies, new books, out of fear that I will not enjoy them and they will be a waste of my time.  So, despite my monthly payments of $7.99 for almost endless access to television and movies, I revert to my favorites.  I've re-read and re-watched more books, movies , and TV shows than anyone probably ever should.

The problem here is that with all of this watching and re-watching, yes, I'm enjoying myself, but I'm also missing out on all of the great new TV shows and movies there are to be enjoyed.  When I could be learning new things,  vicariously experiencing different situations, understanding different kinds of people, I choose to stick with what I know.  There are so many opportunities for expanding my horizons and entertainment  choices, that to stick with what is familiar, and comfortable, is simply doing myself an injustice.  Not only that, but maybe while I'm rewatching shows I already like, I'm missing out on shows that I may like even more.  I'm completely limiting myself.

This is what familiarity does to us.  It limits us.  We stick to the familiar stuff because it's comfortable and predictable, but, in turn, we lose adventure, learning opportunities, and maybe just the best show, or movie, or book, we'll ever enjoy in our entire lives.

Are you willing to sacrifice that for familiarity?

Keep on thinking,
Josie