When new skyscrapers are built, they often incorporate giant pendulums in their basements to prevent catastrophic failure in the event of an earth quake or other natural disaster. The theory is that when the building sways one way, the pendulum swings the other way, and acts as a counter balance, absorbing whatever energy would have caused the building to crack.

Rituals, routines, regimens, and belief systems can act as pendulums for people, it seems. By incorporating these things in our lives, we build in a self-preservation mechanism, protection against things in life that could cause us to stumble, crack, or fail. Retreating to the safety and comfort of the Known can be a beacon in the night, showing us a path away from danger.

I will not stumble, crack, or fail. I might bend a little, or sway against the quake, perhaps.

Tonight’s lyric quote is from “Wasted Years”, off of the Somewhere In Time album, by Iron Maiden.

From the coast of gold, across the seven seas
I’m travelling on, far and wide
But now it seems, I’m just a stranger to myself
And all the things I sometimes do, it isn’t me but someone else

I close my eyes, and think of home
Another city goes by, in the night
Ain’t it funny how it is, you never miss it til it’s gone away
And my heart is lying there and will be til my dying day