"Harmless" Habits

 Being a kid from the "90's", I grew up with some pretty sweet movies! You know, like Cinderella, Snow White, Lady and the Tramp, The Aristocats, The Jungle Book.... Pinocchio.  Loved them all and then some, but I would like to focus on Pinocchio just for a few minutes.
  For all of you who have never seen the movie or read the book, or just simply forget completely on who Pinocchio was..let me explain. Pinocchio was carved by a woodcarver named Geppeto in a small Italian village and he was created as a wooden puppet but dreamed of becoming a real boy. However; Pinocchio developed the bad habit of lying or fabricated stories for various reasons. So when Pinocchio would lie, his nose would grow, all because of a "little white lie." Lying was a habit for Pinocchio and in return, he had consequences, which resulted in the growth of his nose, and nobody believing him when he really needed help or actually told the truth. Where am I getting at, you may ask? Well I'll tell you...I am going to talk about my own habits.

  Growing up, I had a number of habits that I somewhat still have today. Just like Pinocchio, I used to have a problem with lying-habitually. I mean, I lied about everything! Please don't think that I am boasting or proud of myself for that habit, because in no way, shape or form, am I happy about it. My title for this blog says "Harmless Habits" and that particular previous habit of mine was definitely harmful. Because of that one habit, that one harmful habit, I lost relationships, part of my reputation, trust, and most importantly, people that I love. Be that it was (not is), I am not going to go into detail about that past habit of mine, just stating that it was a habit of mine...I also had the habit of biting my nails, sticking pens and pencils in my mouth, counting when I'm stressed, cracking my knuckles (which drove my mother insane!), cracking my neck, rolling my eyes when I was being told the truth, talking with my hands, licking my lips, sticking my tongue out when I think or concentrate on something (which I still do), and some other "little" and other habits in between, but recently, I have noticed that I have developed a new habit, one that I am not physically capable of perfecting, but I still do it in an attempt....its whistling! 

  I have NO IDEA how it started, but it definitely started and I can't stop! (or so it seems) I noticed it about three weeks ago when I was at home and I heard Emily's (my roommate) mom whistle to a song, which she does daily. All of a sudden, I started whistling-out of nowhere! I don't know why I started it or even attempted to try it, because for those of you who know me...I CAN'T whistle to save my life! Not a tune! But there I was, whistling away! I didn't think anything of it, until I started doing it without music, but randomly. Throughout the past few weeks, I have noticed that I whistle more when I am stressed out, overwhelmed, or have something on my mind that I don't want to talk about. When that happens, I think the reason that I whistle is because I want to focus on something else instead of whatever it is that I'm thinking or stressing about. As I whistle, I tend to just walk away from my problem, which in some cases, is not okay. How in the world did this come about?! Now, when I hear myself whistle, I try and stop myself because I know I am terrible at the whole concept and I need to stop and think about what it is exactly I am thinking or stressing about. 

 So what can I do instead of whistling during those "stressed out, hair pulling" moments? I have thought of a few things actually, but I am learning to put them into ACTION! First thing I need to do is realize the problem. I already know the underlying reason of why I whistle, and its to not deal with whatever it is that needs to be dealt with. Which is NOT okay!! Second thing I can do is, once I have figured out and identified the reasoning behind my whistling, I need to pray about the problem that I am stressed out about ask God what I need to do or what He needs me to do in order to fix it. I know that whistling is a "harmless habit" because it doesn't hurt or affect anyone in anyway, but the fact is, is that I KNOW why I am whistling. Although its harmless, it can, in some ways, do a lot of damage if this habit is not dealt with in a healthy way. Thirdly and lastly, I must place the solution into action by fixing it and allowing God to transform my ways of thinking. 

 So...what are your habits? Everybody has at least one or two..what are they?? Are they  "harmless" habits or habits that can be hurtful to you or someone else? 

 THANKS FOR READING!