I am repeatedly attracted to thinking about Groundhog Day. There are multiple lessons that can be learned from this repetition with variation.

Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” This point says of the repetitive part of Groundhog Day, emphasizing the things we do over and over again become part of our lives, by making habits of what makes us excellent, we excel. We use the formation of the habit to take us through the cycle about knowing, and knowing what we know. We begin not knowing what we do not know. We progress to knowing that we do not know. Then we learn the task and we know what we do know. Finally, the habit is formed as we forget that we know how to perform. We forget the mechanics and simply do them. This frees brain power to face new problems. It is the source of excellence. Attention to forming the new habit, becoming an expert perhaps without even realizing it. Then moving on to master something new.

At the same time we are building new habits, we are exploring new ideas. We use the novel activities to test our path forward making a multitude of mistakes as we investigate the territory of the unknown. Attention to these green fields gives us the chance to find what we want to do next as learn how to do it.

The Stanford d.school (design school) teaches us to emphasize empathize, experiment, and iterate to find solutions. It is how we explore unknown territory and make it our own. Designers explore new ideas, trying them in a fail fast mode. Try to create prototypes of what you think might work. Make them dependent on the weakest hypothesis so they are most likely to fail. Celebrate failure. It is how we grow. As I once said at work, “If all of our experiments succeed we aren’t trying hard enough.” Focus on the bad; it is the teacher of lessons.

Now, it is back to Groundhog Day mode. Every weekday is a varied repeat of the previous ones. Sometimes two physical therapies which includes standing, balance, walking, mobility, and matt work. . One counseling session per week. Recreation in groups where I continue to contribute. Speech does talking and memory and has cycled back to exhalation exercises. Occupational, we do mobility every day and add in stretching or electronic stimulation.

But I pay attention to both sides of Groundhog Day now. The repetitive parts are to form and crystallize habits. The new parts are to explore new areas. Things that repeat, but should not be habits are to be eliminated.

For example, I am now writing this as independent time during cognitive rehab (which is also speech and swallow time). I chose this activity to work on making it a habit. My alternative was to do a cognitive exercise where the therapist reads a six word sentence and I repeat the words back sorted by length (secondary alphabetical sort is encouraged but it required). It is a good cognitive development tool, but my cognition is pretty good. I like this choice.

My next two sessions are PT and OT which are good repetitive things. In PT I am regain function I lost due t o less frequent or no PT January through July. I can stand with hemi-walker and no assistance. I have walked three trips of 33 feet and a rollator with no assistance moving my left leg. It is extremely difficult and I’m getting better. In OT, almost all of my measurements are better. Those that are not better are the same. I can move my left had side to side a bit. Turning it interior is almost normal.

Not sure what we will do in ED last. It is one of those area I feel is filled with repetition of things I do not need to work on. Might do some of those and then work on the book.

Back to Groundhog Day.