Here's how you can transform a routine into a ritual

I don't like the word 'routine'. It sounds like something a faceless, nameless army would do. It sounds unthinking and mundane. I prefer the word 'ritual'. A ritual is also something that happens regularly; there is a liturgical sameness to it that is satisfying and comforting. But..there is room in a ritual for something wonderful to happen,  something unexpected and life-changing. A routine is something you do just to get through the daily grind, know what I mean? Whereas, a ritual allows for beauty and discovery in the everyday.

But what to do? Life is full of mundane tasks that need to get done every day. Agreed. Back in the days when I was employed by an advertising agency and went to work in an office every day, I had an hour-long drive every morning to get there. Routine. I transformed it into a life-satisfying ritual by stopping along the way to pick up a take-out coffee and cinnamon roll, by choosing to take the most scenic route and by playing praise music the whole way to remind myself that I am a child of God, therefore I can behave like one :) This ritual probably made the drive about 4 minutes longer, but it was worth it. Instead of dreading the drive every morning, I looked forward to it.

These days, like so many other people in this Internetted world, I am my own boss and I work from home. Here's an example of what my Morning Ritual looks like. It helps me to 'get good things done' like laundry and exercise - but it also adds a whole lot of satisfaction and delight to my day. There is room in my ritual for the unexpected and the Divine to break through. And that, after all, is the whole point of doing ritual in the first place.

How does your Morning Ritual flow? Are you even a morning person at all? I am, as you can see, and I really feel glum if I've gone to bed too late the night before to accommodate my Morning Ritual the next day. Have a happy day!