I am participating in 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes 2019 (all of my submissions can be found here).

Today’s prompt is: CONSISTENT

“At least you (or I, or they, or she/he) are consistent.”

This is something I say in jest … um … “consistently.”

It’s usually after someone has said something relatively self-deprecating, like “I was five minutes late to work again today.”

“At least you’re consistent.”

Even though I say it relatively in jest, I do find consistency to be a huge asset.

Maybe I’m trying to wrap being change-averse and habit-bound into a pretty package, but I know what a difference consistent people make in my life. Especially once I had kids, I came to appreciate even more how much I appreciated the consistent people in their lives.

On the flip side, is it boring to be consistent? Am I missing something by not being more spontaneous?

I suppose there’s a balance here — consistency in the way we present ourselves professionally and among the people in our lives who count on us.

But if I daydream about some less-than-consistent choices, I think I would find myself taking an unplanned road trip on a weekend (once my car woes are settled). Possibly eating somewhere new. I have a $25 gift certificate to a favorite coffee place that I still haven’t managed to use.

Maybe it’s time to set up a somewhat spontaneous coffee date with people who count on me to be consistent the rest of the time.