Lately when I asked someone “what have you been doing,” I’ve received the response “same old, same old.” I heard that expression many years ago but not in recent years. Why is this expression resurrecting again? I’m not sure, but I have a strong reaction to the expression “same old, same old.” Why would anyone want to acknowledge that everything is the same old stuff, as it sounds depressing to me?
Then I thought whether this expression offers a sense of familiarity and comfort to one’s life, that life is the same and nothing significant has occurred to shift it into a negative direction.
The person’s response helped me recognize that I’ve been expressing a “same old, same old” attitude as well. I believe that others are mirrors for us. When we react strongly to a person’s actions or words, it is saying something about us, not them.
We live around 75 years old and why would we want to have the same old, same old at any time of our lives. Some routines work for us and find to continue regularly. We don’t want to think of a creative way to brush our teeth or wash our face every day. Do we go to work with the “same old, same old” with no direction to change what we do? Are we happy knowing what we are doing each day and does that thinking offer us comfort in our lives?
What “same old, same old” means to me is that we don’t want to think about our life, rather short cut our answers to keep a distance from others and ourselves. It blocks any interest on the part of the receiver. It’s similar to the word “fine” when asked, “how are you?” We all fall into these shortcuts, but I believe we do a disservice to ourselves when we send those words into the Universe. We block ourselves from ever having something different in our lives because we already said we weren’t going to take the effort to think.
I use the expression, “nothing that exciting, just the usual.” That’s not necessarily true as I am excited to be alive, to experience Spring, to hear an old song I loved, to spend special time with a friend, to relax with family or to take a walk. Wouldn’t it be better to express those little joys or fun times in our lives? If someone was to ask me how my day was yesterday, do I answer “fine,” “nothing special,” or “same old, same old?” If I answered, “took a great walk to the shopping center, the sun was shining, and I loved moving my body.” That would offer more about me and add positive energy into the Universe.
If we stay aware, we can listen to our reactions and capture those happy moments, however small and simple they are in our lives. It’s honoring our journey in this lifetime. If we like comfort, state how great it is to be with the familiar, feel ok about honoring who we are at any time in our life.
I’m becoming aware of the words I choose to express my life, what I want and what I’ve been doing. I hear the repetitive word habits of others, words that have been used for so long that they don’t even recognize what is being said. These words continue to reinforce the “same old, same old.”
Be aware of the words you choose as they reflect and reinforce the life you currently live. If you want something different, choose different words to help you move in another direction.
Your Thoughts
What words do you hear others repeatedly say about how they are doing or what they have been doing? If you listen to them, you will eventually listen to yourself.
Women’s Group Topics
Let’s all become “word conscious” so we can add a little bit of happiness to our lives regularly. What thoughts do you repeat that blocks out your joy?
Be well,
Pat
“To fully enjoy the ‘richness’ of our lives, we need to stop long enough to visit with ourselves.”
(Pat Brill)
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