I’ve been a “regular” at a lot of places over the course of my life. Growing up, my family loved this one Mexican restaurant by our house that was always changing names, and we usually sat in the same corner booth. In college, I always got coffee and a bagel from the Au Bon Pain (ABP!) on campus. These days, I’m a regular at a local coffee shop, a couple bars, and a co-working space. (Before COVID, at least. Now, I’m a regular takeout or delivery customer from a handful of restaurants.)
Doesn’t it feel good to be a regular somewhere? It’s familiar, and cozy, and fun, and usually not awkward because you’ve been through the awkward stuff already. You know where the bathrooms are and where to get extra napkins or whatever. The wifi automatically connects.
And how do you become a regular? By being consistent. Some definitions of regular include: “done or happening frequently” and “used, done, or happening on a habitual basis; usual; customary.”
I’ve been thinking: Besides my haunts, where and how else am I regular? And where and how else do I want to be a regular?
In other words, what am I doing consistently/frequently/on a habitual basis so that I can achieve those good feelings of familiarity, coziness, mastery?
A few things easily come to mind, but I have a lot of work to do on others if I intend to achieve certain goals. There’s a stool waiting for me, I just have to commit to sitting on it.