Rituals have been on my mind lately. I've realized how very important daily rituals are to my mental and emotional well being. I'm sure it's some deep seated need for security rooted in childhood trauma, but whatever the reason, I need rituals, and I'm not a happy mommy, wife, or person in general if I don't get to do a few key things before I start my day.
When I was working outside the home (just 2 short weeks ago), I had a ritual that began once I got to work...I got my laptop set up, I got my coffee, I ate my breakfast, and I read the fun emails first. Then I could work and be productive. I did that every morning for 3 years. And when something happened that messed that ritual up, my day just was not the same. It might have still been a good day, but it was off and I would end up feeling unsettled all day.
Since this huge change of being home and caring for babies and my own children, I've been trying to figure out what I need to do to get grounded every morning. I would love to say that every morning begins with a quiet time of reading scripture and meditation, but it's not. Sometimes it includes that, but those things aren't the crux of my ritual. I have finally landed on just two key things that I must have before I have to speak to anyone or do anything productive.
One...I must have at least 3 cups of coffee (preferably more), and I have a fun new ritual of drinking it out of a sweet cup and saucer from my grandmother's china set. There's just nothing like coffee or tea from a china cup. If you haven't experienced it, give it a try. I can't explain it...it's just some cosmic collision of rightness that comes together and makes the coffee drinking experience more than just a necessity. Usually, my focus on drinking coffee was just "get it in me now." I needed to get a few cups down and I was good - that's all I cared about. But now there's another layer with using this petite, delicate little cup and saucer set. For one, a new phenomenon has occurred...I'm drinking my coffee black now which I've never done. I noticed when I poured it into this cup that it was a different color - it was a pretty brownish black, not tar black, and it actually looked inviting. So I didn't ladle the usual vanilla creamer in, and I just went for it, and it was good. It was really good. So, now I'm drinking black coffee. And they way the cup feels against my lips is a very important part of why this cup is special. The rim is so thin and I can easily take just a sip rather than a gulp like I would from a typical modern day mug. It's simple and somehow less of an act of gluttony like my coffee drinking has been for the last several years since it became a necessity in my life rather than a once in a while thing. And I think, at the deepest level, drinking out of this cup reminds me of when I was a little girl and would watch my grandmother drink out of her china cup and saucer...she had a ritual too. She sat at her kitchen table, drinker her coffee...actually pouring it into the saucer to cool it off and then drinking it out of the saucer (this is a habit I don't think I'm going to take up), and read the paper. Which brings me to part 2 of my ritual, and it's very simple and is a representation of the modern times we live in. I get my screen time fix. I get on the computer, check my all-important facebook page for any messages or updates, check my email, and read the news. And sometimes I write, like I'm doing now.
Now I feel better...this was a good reminder that when you get the writing bug, there's got to be something to write about. Even if it's something as simple as a cup and saucer.
1 comments:
I'm a big fan of rituals myself.
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