My older daughter walks to work, and it is one of life’s gifts that she enjoys my company; her call each weekday morning is both alarm and balm. Until recently, I tackled some chores, walked in my own neighborhood, or snuggled deeper into my nest of blankets and lounging cats while we chatted. One morning last month, though, I rose, walked down the hall, and hopped on the exercise bike when her call came in – painlessly adding another twenty minutes of movement to my day. One day of biking followed another, then another, then another, and now it’s a habit (if still a relatively new one).

Simple rituals, such as my daughter’s call, and habits, such as biking during that call, give the day a reliable rhythm (and, in this case, a great delight) and help me meet objectives (e.g., increase movement) or goals (e.g., maintain healthy blood pressure). I learned this well during the years I worked while parenting and teaching, and it’s a lesson I credit with slow but steady improvements in my physical fitness and music performance. But even someone as committed as I am to the value of small changes, mindful plans, and reliable rhythms requires a periodic reminder.

Late last summer, I appended a note to my work on Lesson 7 of my Latin tutorial: “I recognize that I may be your slowest student ever but trust that if this represented a problem, you would advise me.” My wonderful tutor more than allayed my concerns, but I still hoped to pick up the pace – only to fall short of my expectations week after week. Although I continued to use long drives to and from adventures in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Ann Arbor for vocabulary, declension, and conjugation review, progress with the translations and readings stalled after my Lesson 8 submission in the fall. How was I able to add another walk to my day, another instrument to my practice roster, another course or book group to my calendar but not consistently work on the Latin lessons? I lacked neither time nor interest. What was the deal?

Captain Obvious finally smacked me with the Wheelock’s text: My Latin studies lacked a ritual or habit. So. After my first walk last Monday, I worked on them for an hour. The same on Tuesday. Then Wednesday. And so an infant habit is born, one that yields a completed lesson every three weeks, dovetails the other tasks on my daily schedule, and suits to my learning style.