Establishing Rituals
Do you have rituals in your life? Are there things you do for yourself, for your family, that have come to be habits and things to look forward to? If not, why not?
RItuals give us stability and unity as a couple and as a family. They are the glue that keeps us together when things get all strung out and weird. When the kids were still little, Wednesdays in our house were Domino’s pizza night—I know, not the healthiest, but just go with me here—because Wednesdays after school were riding lesson night, and the kids and I wouldn’t get back to the house until after 7. So no matter how good or bad the lessons went, pizza was always waiting for us when we got home. Reading to my youngest daughter, Elin, was also something that we both enjoyed on a regular basis, and we had quite a collection of books from Chinaberry that were fantastic. Today, she still loves to read and is an excellent speaker as well. See what I mean? Rituals rock!
More recently, I have enjoyed making pancakes for my husband and myself on Sunday mornings. I use the whole grain mix from Bob’s Red Mill and add ground flax seed, wheat germ, lots of cinnamon and vanilla. I always add fruit, too; either berries, chopped apples, peaches, pears or bananas. While the cakes are cooking, I juice a couple of big glasses of carrot/orange/celery juice for our beverage, maybe adding a hunk of ginger to kick it up a notch if it is a chilly morning! It’s a ritual that sort of snuck up on me, and it is something I really enjoy doing, and I love knowing that Sandy is getting a nutritious start to his day. If I’m lucky there will be leftover pancakes to heat up for breakfast later in the week!
What kind of things can you do to establish healthy rituals in your life? Here is a list of possiblities or you can come up with ones of your own:
- Breakfast for dinner night—make up some cakes or waffles, or omelettes and don’t forget to load up on the fruits or veggies, too. And have dinner in your pajamas to make it authentic!
- Bath night– set one night of the week as your peace-in-the-tub night. Light a candle, add some essential oils to your tub, and relax with a nice facial mask.
- An evening of the Arts night–spend an evening reading together, or coloring together or doing crafts. Make up some special beverages and healthy snackables together and enjoy the quality time with your kids–or your spouse! No television or radio allowed, only voices!
Take the time to have real rituals in your life. As the years go by, they will become things that you look forward to, and things that you remember fondly. peace. Diane
