If you are a friend on Facebook or follower on Instagram, you can’t help but notice that the most often shared part of my life is The Cup of Coffee. It’s a small peek into this daily life that I love. But why coffee? I love coffee, of course, and rarely does a day go by that I don’t have at least one cup.
I also love the way it connects us.
A cup of coffee or tea is like an unspoken international language to connect and share a moment of intimacy.
There is also ritual involved with me making a cup of coffee, and by sharing that, I am sharing a bit of the way I connect to what is sacred and holy in my life.
I mentioned the word ritual when I spoke of routines last week. I believe that Ritual is practically the twin of Routine. A routine is made of the daily actions that create one’s life. It’s scheduled.
A ritual is the attitude behind the routine. It’s the sacred part.
I give high praise to powerful routines as they are a major ingredient to the recipe for living a daily life that I love. Rituals, on the other hand, add the essence of faith and love into the recipe.
Rituals offer you compassionate discipline and allow you to help focus your attention and energy on a desired way feeling. They will ground you regardless of what’s happening around you.
When I pour a cup of coffee, I’m in routine. But because I wanted to make that cup of coffee a moment to savor, I invested $10 in supplies to create a ritual around it. I bought a white porcelain cream and sugar set from Target, some tiny “appetizer” spoons from World Market. I keep my sugar bowl filled with turbinado sugar and I in my cream pitcher, you find pastured whipping cream.
Instead of operating from milk cartons and boxes of sugar, I have these lovely (inexpensive) items to make it feel special.
And darling, that’s the only preparation I need for my morning coffee ritual.
I pull out a favorite cup, gently spoon raw brown sugar with a tiny coffee sized spoon in the bottom, pour in freshly ground and brewed coffee, and add just the right mixture of cream. Then I stir and sip and savor before I move into my day.
See how I took the mundane and created a ritual?
When I share a photo of my coffee, I’m not just saying “I had coffee”, I’m honoring who I am with the celebration of ritual into my day.
I am inviting the viewer into my private and holy world.
I am encouraging the viewer to connect with what is holy and sacred within their own lives.
“…to the soul, the most minute details and the most ordinary activities, carried out with mindfulness and art, have an effect far beyond their apparent insignificance.” –Thomas Moore
We all need daily time-outs. An excuse to stop and take a moment to celebrate. To connect, honor and recognize the different aspects of life.
There is an innate human need to feel connected. To touch something greater. To be fed spiritually by a higher source. And ritual satisfies that need.
Ritual is your own daily invitation to step off the racetrack of life and into yourself.
The truth is, our daily lives are a series of small rituals and routines. For big chunks of my life, this was unconscious. I existed and my daily life of habits had many routines and rituals and habits within them, but because I was so focused on the NEXT BIG THING coming, I missed recognizing the sacred pieces.
When I made the conscious decision to more deeply connect with myself, my spirituality, and my daily life, I took what could be a totally mundane piece of living and made it an infinitesimal moment of holy.
There is a deeper and rawer beauty to the day-to-day mundane moments in our lives than we regularly attribute value. Or give credit for their holiness.
I’ve been pretty transparent around the fact that I lived a life made up of people-pleasing and trying for the look of perfection. I also felt that something was missing, though. And part of what was missing was I didn’t recognize or celebrate my unique place in the world.
I began replacing Busy (so, busy) and Existing with supportive moments of ritual. And I saw this abundance of increased happiness and satisfaction with life.
Now, my coffee ritual isn’t the only ritual in my day. I have other rituals around writing, preparing JB’s lunch, etc. They change along with the seasons or days of the week.
But the commonality between them all is that I show up and remind myself that I am the cultivator of my own soul.
Even if it’s for two minutes in the morning.
Rituals remind us of our own sacredness and desire to connect to ourselves and God. A ritual is like slipping into a cashmere sweater on a cold day – it holds and warms you.
What about you, darling? What routines in your life can you ritualize? Are you celebrating your unique and amazing place in this world?
Are you ready to have a daily date with your soul? A conscious connection with what is holy and sacred in your life?
What if, by replacing your busyness with meaningful rituals, such as a 10-minute morning meditation or a weekly girlfriend lunch, your level of sassiness and sexiness and your overall happiness with life increased?
There is an ebb and flow of daily life, darling. If we wait only for Big Days to recognize them and record them, you may be missing the opportunity to fall more deeply in love with yourself and that daily life.
Take a peek at my Instagram. When I stand back and look at the collection of images, I fall a little more in love with myself and my life.
The photos I am taking may not be works of art, but each one tells a story. These are the stories of life – and they are sacred and holy.
And the stories of your life, my dear, are sacred and holy, too.
“…to the soul, the most minute details and the most ordinary activities, carried out with mindfulness and art, have an effect far beyond their apparent insignificance.” –Thomas Moore
Want some help creating routines and rituals in your life? Clearing Brain Clutter – Discovering Your Heart’s Desires begins on Sept. 1st. And Make Your Inner Sex Kitten Roar begins September 22nd.
