I find rituals so soothing. Every Wednesday I pick up our CSA box on the way home from work and lug it home on the bus (this part is not soothing, I'll admit). Then I open it, excited to see what veggies we get for the week, pour myself a glass of wine and wash them all up while I listen to the evening news on NPR.
{just the beginning}
I stick to this because I find that if the veggies aren't washed and put away immediately, it's easy to put it off too long. And it's such a lovely way to break up my week because it forces me to slow down a bit.
I'd love to hear about any simple rituals you have, if you'd care to share. Maybe we'll all get some ideas.
i love rituals like that. they really are the perfect way to slow down and take a second to breathe.
ReplyDeleteI know to other people it might sound lame, but on Saturday mornings I clean my whole flat from top to bottom. That way I get to enjoy it all tidy and fresh for the rest of the weekend. Then it's also ready for another week of work, so that when I get home in the evenings I can pour that glass of wine and zone out in front of the TV :)
ReplyDeletewhat a lovely (and healthy) ritual. i find that doing laundry on sunday nights while watching a movie is a nice way to balance out a not so fun chore.
ReplyDeleteDate night each week with E. is a great ritual for us. We take turns picking out something to do together.
ReplyDeleteI love learning about people's rituals, one of those simple delights! One of my favorite rituals is having coffee with Andrew, on our squooshy "Law school" couch, talking about everything from family drama to politics to social reform! Quite the way to start the morning.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any rituals but reading about everyone's has me thinking. I'll come up with one. Oh..I do spend tuesday nights (paydays) grocery shopping then putting the food away, running the dishwasher and doing some laundry. Then while I relax on the couch, I feel domestic while hearing the machines whirring - as if I were really doing something productive!
ReplyDeletethat's lovely, Rachel! I hope lots of readers share their rituals. We don't quite have any yet, but we're getting there. I like the idea of having a few.
ReplyDeleteours is called "quinoa wednesday," and involves a glass of wine, dinner and sinfully frivolous tv viewing: a mid-week, easy-cook break to help get to friday. I just posted one of the quinoa recipes.
ReplyDeleteLove this ritual.
ReplyDeletebeautiful - lovely little ritual. I wish I had one - I need to make one.
ReplyDeleteyes, please. i love rituals, they make me feel so centered. just last night i went to the farmer's market in my new neighborhood and was thinking about how happy i am to shift my market going to tuesday evenings. such a nice time to shop for the week, think about dinner, and walk home while the sun sinks lower in the sky. a new ritual for me, and i love it already!
ReplyDeleteMy newest ritual is baking a treat on Friday night for the weekend. We're trying to cut back on our sweets intake, but since I love to bake I figured if I do it on Friday nights we can have treats for the weekend, give any leftovers away and it's out of the house by Monday.
ReplyDeleteEvery night when Boyfriend gets home we lay down on the bed and talk for five or ten minutes.
ReplyDeleteOne of my rituals that I picked up this summer (and can only hope to continue once the school year gets busy) was to spend Saturday morning baking and puttering around the kitchen while watching lifetime movies. All week long I bookmark recipes I want to try and look forward to my therapeutic day in the kitchen :)
ReplyDeletei love rituals. my rituals keep me from missing home. : )
ReplyDeleteOn of my rituals is that after church on Sundays, I get a sandwich from a sandwich shop {many to choose from, and it varies} and then come home and eat it while watching me some Lifetime.
ReplyDeleteI started this with my best friend. She moved to North Carolina. We are still best friends, but it makes me feel like she is with me still whenever I do this. I love this ritual. =D
Sunday is definitely a day for rituals. I'll sleep in a little, then pop to the shop for fresh baked bread and the Sunday papers. When I get home, I have a bacon sandwich and a cup of tea to get me going, clean my entire flat from front to back and then reward myself by hunkering down in my armchair with a big cup of tea and the papers. Bliss.
ReplyDeleteI'm a stay-at-home-mom, and to break up the day, I read nursery rhymes and sing with my twins.
ReplyDeleteOur apartment doesn't have a washer/dryer so Alex and I lug our laundry to the 24 hour laundromat (usually on Sundays) really late at night and spend that time together, playing cards and chatting! Something small, but it adds a little fun to something otherwise boring and mundane!
ReplyDeletewhat a lovely ritual! I have to say, I don't have many simple rituals like this, but I do enjoy the occasional glass of white... usually on thursdays since my week is downhill from there and I can finally r e l a x...
ReplyDeleteyour blog is lovely. I found your new etsy shop from you are my fave, and then clicked over here from there. your headbands are gorgeous too.
Very sweet.
ReplyDeleteI have almost the same ritual, but on Sundays. After church we go get Tacos at La Estrella, then we pick up our box and I wash... sometimes this takes a long, long time. Especially when we have tons of greens.
And I listen to This American Life or Splendid Table - whatever happens to be on.
I feel ya. Definitely soothing.
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ReplyDeletei hand wash my dishes, despite the fact that i have a dishwasher. it gets me to stop multi-tasking for a little bit. then my boyfriend and i always send each other good morning and good night messages.
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely post. Having just gone back to college for The Final Year (yeahhh!) I'm missing nights like this where I'd hang out with my mom and make dinner with her, listening to NPR, with a glass of white wine - exactly so. Thanks for that.
ReplyDeleteI love this ritual! I may have to adopt it ;) Life is a little out of the ordinary right now, but I'm sure to find a groove and little rituals soon enough.
ReplyDeleteOn Saturday mornings my husband and I get up and ride our bikes down to the farmer's market. When we get home we use some of our fresh veggies in an omelette, brew a french press full of coffee, and listen to the reggae show on KEXP. It slows us down and lets us catch up after a busy week.
ReplyDeletePS...Congrats on the shop!
I love my morning rituals. First my kitten gets excited that I've woken up, and jumps on the bed, so we have a bit of a cuddle. Then I make my coffee and breakfast and sit in my favourite chair, looking out through the big glass doors, watching the sun pour in. My view overlooks tree tops and it's really pretty. I check my email and my favourite blogs (including this one) while sipping the coffee in my favourite mug. I love the quietness and fresh start of a new day.
ReplyDeletePS I love hearing everyone else's rituals! A great reminder to give ourselves time to do things that make us feel peaceful.
We make pancakes from scratch on Sunday mornings... My son, Noah, helps me measure and mix the ingredients together and then my husband is in charge of actually cooking them... Sundays are a leisurely kind of day around here, so there's no set time - we have been known to eat said pancakes for dinner on occasion if we just don't get around to the ritual until then! And that's okay... It's about relaxing, spending time with one another, filling the house (and bellies) with sweetness, and having sticky maple syrup fingers.
ReplyDelete-maria
ps: Congrats on your shop... I know it takes guts to put yourself out there...
Sundays are a great day for rituals. Pomegranate (bf's nickname) and i sleep in then start coffee, paper, laundry, cleaning, brunch, crafts. It's our day to indulge in whatever we're feeling, sometimes we build stuff, other days we eat and pile on the couch.
ReplyDeleteYour Wednesday Evenings sound wonderful!
ReplyDeleteShortly after my twins were born (16 + years ago) I had no idea the value of rituals, routines and phases. I had a wonderful woman help me who taught me so much about ritual. There is something so spiritual, so therapeutic about this.
ReplyDeleteYou always have such wonderful posts.
pve
i enjoyed reading everyone's rituals. and i agree with many- sundays are a great day for rituals. i go to the coffeeshop down the block early in the morning to eat a bagel, sip some joe and write letters. then i go grocery shopping when hardly anyone else is up yet so i can walk slowly through the isles and get inspired by the produce and what's on sale
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