Rituals

Many years ago, when I was living in Phoenix, Arizona, I would often get up early in the morning – 5 AM, sit in my terrace garden and enjoy a few cups of hot tea while waiting for the sun to rise. Shortly after, a hummingbird (I named him Flapper) would visit the feeder I had hanging near my lantana shrub. Like clockwork, he would visit at the same times everyday – 6 AM and 10 AM. This activity became a morning ritual, helping to set the tone for my day, putting me in the right head space.  

Pandemic life has me thinking about many things, and one would be rituals, especially those that take place in the early morning before the day begins. I’ve always believed how you start your morning impacts the rest of your day. If feeds your mood and motivation.

When I look back, post-Arizona / pre-pandemic, I didn’t create many rituals for myself and as a result, my mood and motivation became occasionally inconsistent, which I think at times didn’t encourage me to go the distance.

Over the past several months I feel like I’ve been at boot-camp, remembering those past rituals, tools for healthy living, that fortified my existence, keeping my mind settled and my spirit high, and now reapplying them to my current endeavors because I know how useful they can be.

Understandably, there is much mental pain and suffering going on in the world, and the pandemic and poor government leadership, from all sides, but from one person in particular, has made it even more intense to the point of being unbearable. I am personally exhausted from the blame game, and from those individuals who choose fear to facts and ignorance to common sense and logic. As for the many who choose strategic, deliberate ignorance, we’ll all pay a price for your selfish interests, racism and biased religion.

America needs a new day, and while many are waiting for that day, our time would be better spent curating our individual lives, applying healthy rituals to help us combat the negativity that is so easily consumable and detrimental to our health.

I’ve created a few morning rituals for myself that really do set the tone for my day. Sitting in my fire escape garden and drinking hot tea is very satisfying. Even with the city noise, I am able to drown it out to meditate and reflect, and on occasion read. Walking to Sherwood Gardens is another ritual I find helpful, gratifying. 

Dear friends… Make your daily routines into rituals to improve your health, which will aid in you going the distance, too. – paerki