Routines are boring. Rituals ground us.
The routine of having to get up and go to work can be a drag, but the ritual of getting up and journaling, meditating, or doing yoga can be something beneficial that can help us face the day and prepare for going to the office. The ritual of preparing for the day can give us what we need when responsibility calls us.
We all have our routines and rituals. My routine includes getting up, making coffee, and making sure The Boy and The Oppressed make it to the bus. When I was younger, I had a ritual when it came to reading the newspaper. I would read the funnies first, then I would move on the Sports section. I would read the game story for the Red Sox, move on the “Notebook” where the responsible party covering the previous night’s/day’s game would take the excess information not needed for the game story and keep fans like me up to speed on what was happening in the organization.
Why do we have Rituals?
Routines are sometimes necessary. They are something we need to do in order to get on with our day. The rituals ground us, help us recognize what’s important, and can sometimes be superstitious, like Wade Boggs needing to eat fried chicken before a game or Nomar Garciaparra looking like Michael Jackson with the way he touches wrists, head, chest, whatever he can reach before he sees the next pitch.
Rituals can be psychosomatic. People may think they need them or they can’t function or start the day without them. A ritual can also be magical, and the magic can be just the thing you need when things need to be done over the course of a day.
“Every Day Magic”
Like you, Melanie Lane Durham has routines that need to be done. Every day brings about necessary evils. They can be laundry that needs to be cleaned, meals that need to be cooked, errands that need to be run. After a while, they can be a bit of a drag, but Melanie likes to remind people that if you look hard enough, you will find some magic in them. Melanie wrote “Every Day Magic” to remind us that there is magic to be found every day. As she said to me earlier, “… Magic is found in every ordinary day, inspiring readers to find joy and beauty in the simplest moments.”
The story begins with Edie coming home from school and doing her homework. After homework, she has a snack. While she eats her snack, she notices that every day she lives seems like the same day over and over. This is boring. Her mother tells her their everyday routines can seem magical. “You just need to learn how to go about them,” she explains.
Magic is Everywhere
The next morning, Edie and her mom begin the day with breakfast. But before eating, the two ladies opened windows and lit a candle. These small acts allowed fresh air into the house, and the candle represented the sun rising and beginning a new day. At her mother’s suggestion, Edie takes a deep breath and thinks about something she is grateful for that day.
Later that day, Edie and her mom clean the house, a routine. But they weren’t just cleaning the house. They were sweeping away the dust, “to make space for the good things to come.”
Throughout the day, Edie and her mom found magic and meaning in the everyday chores and actions they shared. This is a good way to look at the things that need to be done in and around the home. For me, I need to clear the ground under my blueberry bushes every spring. This routine helps the plants grow during the spring and summer, which will give my family blueberries in the summer. When Edie and her mom have dinner, they say a blessing and give thanks for their food. You can do the same thing if you grow something and use it to prepare a meal or just enjoy something that you grew in your yard.
You read a lot about rituals Native Americans perform when they are working or hunting. These rituals involve the Earth that is walked on and the sky above. Rituals can be worked into all types of routines. They can be used to appreciate something more or they can be incorporated into a routine to make a job seem fun. Either way, you can have your own routines for whatever it is that needs to be done in your home, your yard, or your job.
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