We usually don’t associate repetition with things that are exciting and that we look forward to. In fact, we more readily associate repetition with boring tasks. Yet, there are several circumstances that come to mind where repetition can be enjoyable and beneficial.
For example, this morning my granddaughter wanted to sit in my lap and read the same Go, Dogs, Go book over and over again. It certainly wasn’t boring to her because she was the one insisting on it, and it was enjoyable for me because I’ll gladly sit and read to her anytime as long as she wants. Work can wait.
When I taught a lot of classes in a previous role – or, more accurately, the same class over and over again – people would occasionally ask me, “Don’t you get tired of teaching the same thing all the time?” The truthful answer was “No, I don’t, because I really love what I do.” So the repetition reality of work can be a pleasure if you are fulfilled by it.
In my spiritual life, I have 100 Bible verses I selected several years ago that are the core of what I want to have hidden in my heart as the guts of Christianity. Remembering them takes repetition regularly, because without it I will forget them. The ability to call them to mind when needed is worth the effort of repeating them aloud time after time. Just a few minutes per day is all that is needed to stay on top of those 100 verses.
It may not be in vogue to learn through repetition these days, but I think the method is still valid and helps embed what is learned into us. While it can be true that we find ourselves dreading some things we must repeat, that does not have to be the case with all things. Repetition can, in fact, bring comfort through the familiarity. Whether it is the “do it again” expectation of my granddaughter, repeating work that I love, or continuing to reinforce prior learning for things of great value to me, I am reminded of leap year lesson #151 – Repetition can be a good thing.
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