When a close friend invited me to dinner she asked me to set the table and pour what I wanted to drink.

She laughed when I asked where she wanted me to sit. "We don't stand on ceremony," she said. "Sit anywhere you like."So I did.But when her husband arrived and it was time to eat, she said I should move to the other side of the table so he could sit where he always does."I always sit on this side and he sits there," she said.It was my turn to chuckle.I recognized that scenario from my own home. We have six places on our dining room table, just as my friend does. We could sit anywhere we want, of course.But we don't switch places at all. Regardless of whether it's just the two of us or if we have guests we sit in the same place for every meal.David sits at the head of the table and I sit on the side where I am closest to the stove so I can get up and down easily.There's a name for that. It's called being creatures of habit.My friend insists they are too informal to be creatures of habit. But I notice they always sit in the same place to eat and always sit in the same chairs to watch television. They, too, are creatures of habit, like so many of us.I'm such a creature of habit that I don't vary my morning routine. Do some stretching exercises, drink some water, swallow a pill, go for my morning walk then settle down with the morning paper while I eat breakfast - at the same place each day, of course.I don't vary the order.After that encounter at my friend's house, I started thinking about how much of what we do becomes a set habit.When we go to church on Sunday, there are plenty of places to sit in a church that accommodates over a thousand. But we sit in the exact place each week.As I look around me, I see the same people sitting where they always do. Sometimes I marvel that we all end up in the exact seats. It's as if we were following a seating chart.Sometimes, when I meet someone new and we discover we go to the same church, they will ask: Where do you sit?Did you ever wonder why we are such creatures of habit? Is there anyone who actually sits in the back one week then on a different side the next week?I don't know what you see in your church but when I look around mine I see row after row of people sitting in the same place every week.I always remember the story about a man who didn't go to church for many years. When he finally went back he took a seat at the end of a row in the back. A woman came in a bit later and said to him, "You're in my seat."He told me he was so offended that he left church and never went back.When he told me that story, I wondered if the woman realized the harm she did by being such a creature of habit? Sometimes when we are so rigid about being creatures of habit we miss out on new experiences that could prove rewarding.My friend Ruth lives in Punta Gorda, the town next to me in Florida, It's one of the most charming towns I've encountered.I loved going with Ruth to the unique little village boutiques and the out-of-the-way gems she introduced me to.Even though I love the town and the shops, I seldom go back. Why? Because I'm a creature of habit who seems to travel in the opposite direction to shop.I remember hearing some business owners in Carbon County voice that complaint. People were in the habit of traveling in the opposite direction to shop. Yet, if they pass up local places in favor of going to the mall, they missed out on a more personable shopping experience that's more enjoyable.Some of my habits are a bit silly when I think about it. Here are two examples.I always compare gas prices at various stations and always try to gas up at the station with the lowest prices.When David and I went to visit friends an hour away, I questioned why he was buying gas there when it's cheaper to fill up at home. "Four cents difference for 10 gallons of gas means just 40 cents more," he noted.I told him my mother impressed upon me that every cent counts. Not that a 40-cent difference will fatten my wallet. But it's little habits that add up to dollars, I maintain.I'm not a creature of habit when it comes to buying gas. I look for the cheapest price.There is one habit David and I share with others that makes me wonder. When we go shopping, we always park as close to the entrance as we can. It doesn't make much sense to exercise every day yet try to avoid walking a few more steps, does it?When you think about your own daily routine, are there instances when you find you are a creature of habit?Contact Pattie Mihalik at

newsgirl@comcast.net.