Daily Rituals

Most folks who know me know that I have been in the process of simplifying my life for some time now, like, a year and a half. When I first began this process, the folks at Goodwill would smile, real big, when I drove up because they KNEW they were gonna get lots and lots of stuff. I think I made 20 trips to Goodwill in the first 6 months. In our defense, however, I will say that 8 years ago, my husband and I joined our two families, so we each brought a bunch of stuff to the marriage (including 7 awesome kids between us). It was a lot of junk to sort through (not the kids), but we did it, and I'm proud to say that the only stuff in our bedroom now, besides our bed, is a chest of drawers, a bookcase, and a desk with the computer on it (a small desk). Oh, and a pretty green bench that sits at the foot of our bed. It is so much more relaxing now that we've cleared out so much clutter. I am probably going to have to move one more bookcase back in, however, because I usually grade my children's work (we homeschool) in my bedroom, and I need a place for all of those books. All of that was to say this: I have been reading up on simple living and simplifying one's life for over a year now, and have come across an interesting book.

The title of the book is Living a Beautiful Life: 500 Ways to Add Elegance, Order, Beauty, and Joy to Every Day of your Life. It was written by Alexandra Stoddard, was published in 1986 (could I really have graduated that year?), and I checked it out of the library (FREE is such a nice word). Ms. Stoddard reminds us to live each day to its fullest, appreciating each day in the present as a gift to be opened and enjoyed. She suggests that one of the best ways to do this is to work rituals into our lives that make those daily, sometimes mundane tasks something refreshing to our spirit and encouraging to our lives. An example might be playing some of my favorite music and swaying to it while washing the dishes and enjoying the fragrance of my favorite candle. Any Mom with kids KNOWS what it means to have daily, neverending, BORING chores. Washing dishes, laundry, picking up after children. We're glad to do it because we love our families, but it can be draining, and the work never ends. But I like the idea of developing rituals to make those chores more enjoyable, and even refreshing. My bathing ritual might include listening to some soft jazz, lighting a gently scented candle, and then slathering on my favorite lotion after toweling dry with the fuzziest, softest towel ever made. My morning ritual might include getting up before the children and reading my Bible while drinking my hot tea and listening to instumental hymns. In the summer, I might do this while sitting on the back porch watching the sunrise, and hearing the birds twitter away in the early morning. My "picking up" ritual might include popping a piece of my favorite bubble gum in my mouth (memories of childhood) and beebopping to my favorite pop or dance music and singing along ( being careful NOT to swallow the bubble gum, or let it fall out of my mouth into my hair, not that I've ever done that before... no, not me).

So, what rituals would you add to your life to totally involve your senses and wake you up to each moment of your life? Leave me a post and let me know.

Blessings.