When listening to vinyl records, the needle used to capture the music rides lightly in the groove. The needle moves smoothly from the old groove to a new groove and another song begins. The music calls us to dance.

When fighting a war, soldiers dig deep trenches to defend their position. Deep trenches feel safe but restrict mobility and may well become bloody traps for their defenders.

Life can be lived in the groove with lots of music and dance. Life can also be lived in a trench where little changes and life is lived defensively. The choice is up to us. From time to time it is a good idea to make a personal assessment.

If we find ourselves in a life trench, it is time to climb out and get into a new groove. To make that move successfully we may need to avoid those who were in the old trench with us. They want for us to stay and will likely do what they can to hold us there with them. Examples may include drinking buddies, failed relationships, and political/religious organizations.

One final note: Having a daily routine is not the same as living in a trench. It is just fine to do personal laundry on Monday and run the vacuum on Friday. Routines allow us to accomplish things that must be done as we save more time to groove.