When my children were little we had a bedtime ritual. David or I would bathe them and then dress them in clean pajamas. I would comb their wet hair, usually braiding Lisa’s long hair loosely so it wouldn’t tangle overnight. Following tooth brushing we would tuck them into bed and read a story (or ten). We would then say a bedtime prayer and turn out the light. Many nights they went to sleep listening to a set of classical music cassette tapes for children.
Anyone who has raised children knows the value of rituals. The most obvious is the bedtime routine. Following a similar pattern of bath, story time and bedtime prayers each night helps a young child settle down and go to sleep. It’s familiar and comforting. It provides a sense of security.
I believe rituals are just as important for adults, not just for comfort and security but also as a means of creating beauty in our lives.
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Creating a Beautiful Life With Rituals
I suppose I’ve always had my little rituals but it’s only been in recent years that I’ve begun to take them seriously. I am keenly aware of my rituals precisely when I am unable to perform them. For instance, it’s not always possible to enjoy my usual morning tea ritual when traveling and I miss it greatly when that happens.
I doubt she would have used the term “ritual” but Grandma was the one who taught me to enjoy a morning cup of tea. I’ve shared here before how she would fix me a cup of hot, milky Lipton tea to sip first thing in the morning after spending the night at her house. She would hand it to me and tell me to “soak awhile”. To this day, I begin my mornings with a cup of tea and quiet time. It’s my favorite ritual and helps me start the day in a peaceful and happy way.
In the coming days/weeks I will be exploring this topic in more depth and sharing specific rituals I already enjoy or am working on incorporating into my life. It’s all too easy to race through our days ticking off items on our to-do list and feeling that something is missing. But when we slow down a bit once in awhile and enjoy a favorite ritual, life is suddenly more beautiful. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. An afternoon cup of tea, an evening walk, a weekend afternoon spent watching an old movie…these small moments are what give life flavor and are an important way that I am creating a beautiful life.
Rituals…
In researching for this post I found a few really interesting articles I thought I’d share with you:
Home Rituals That No Longer Exist Because of Technology
Nourishing Rituals in the Home
Daily Rituals to Keep You Balanced
A couple of years ago I read an absolutely fascinating book about the daily rituals of artists. It seems that daily walks are the most common ritual amongst creatives, although drinking large quantities of coffee and/or alcohol ranks right up there. Really, really interesting book.
Home as a Source of a Beautiful Life
I’m a firm believer in home as the primary source of a beautiful life. No matter what happens “out there”, home can and should be our oasis. Our little bit of heaven. A cocoon which wraps us in soft, cottony comfort and solace when the world is too much with us.
In order for home to be our sanctuary we need it to be reasonably clean, organized and welcoming. We need clean clothes and nourishing meals. We need the peace and pleasure which come from a well-cared for space.
I’ve tried The FlyLady methods off and on through the years. Like anything else, it works if YOU do. Read more here:
And here is the link to all my homemaking posts in one place:
So tell me, what are you doing today to create a beautiful life? Do you have any favorite rituals? Leave me a comment and we’ll chat about it.
I’m better at rituals than routines.
I have my little rituals that I miss terribly if I can’t do them. For example: a quiet cup of tea first thing in the morning to wake up with before I start my day, and certain things I do before I go to bed (regardless of when bed time is). It’s having those things happen at spacific times that doesn’t work for me (mainly because of my irregular sleeping patterns).
I agree. I don’t sleep well, either, so I understand that issue about specific times.
Two that come to mind at the moment: early morning quiet time (prayer time usually) with my first cup of coffee, and on Shabat mornings I usually make up a pretty coffee tray and drink an entire tea pot (about two cups of coffee really) of coffee in a lovely cup and saucer with a pretty creamer. I warm the tea pot, cup and creamer, warm the milk I put in the creamer and then drink cup after cup of steaming hot coffee until the little pot is empty. If I miss that time on a Saturday morning, I feel as though some important part of my week has gone missing.
I love the idea of using a tea pot. I have some pretty ones. I think I will start doing this once a week or so, too. 🙂
Oh gosh, I have rituals for everything! My tea rituals alone are a bit obsessive! But I find that rituals set the stage or calmness. Most of them involve lighting candles and having special things — a candle lit at my desk when paying bills (with a particular pen) and writing letters (with all my letter-writing accoutrements), and a special candle/trivet which keeps my tea warm; a candle lit when ironing, using the homemade linen spray from Brocante Home; early morning rituals when getting ready to go to work, and bedtime rituals (again – a candle and tea!). There is the ritualistic apron donning when doing housework. And always, a background of music suitable for the activity. Yeah, I’m a little nuts. But I find all these rituals so calming, especially when life gets lunatic.
I don’t think you’re nuts at all! I believe humans crave ritual.