Do you celebrate life at important events and milestones with rituals or have your rituals become routines that you perform in a mindless manner?
Is a ritual something that you do daily? Like getting up in the morning, shaving and washing you face, brushing your teeth, having breakfast and feeding the cat? Can drinking tea or coffee be a ritual. How about reading a book every evening before going to bed, or having a night cap?
All these things are important, but I would argue that they are not done with intentionally. They have become habits and a habit makes our mind less distracted with the mundane and allows us to concentrate on other things of greater importance at that moment.
Rituals differ from the routine in that they are done with intentionality, mindfulness and mark a transition in our life. These transitions can be Birthday, 1st Communion, Graduation, Wedding, Birth, Retirement, Funeral.
The Japanese drink tea on a regular basis, but they also have a special tea ceremony when they want drinking it to mean more than just refreshment. they have special cups, table setting, and create a quiet and calm atmosphere in which to ceremoniously and with contemplation drink the tea.
These rituals help us to acknowledge that a life has changed, sometimes for the better. They allow us to pause, take a moment to ponder the milestone, reflect when we experienced it and accompany others experiencing this milestone.
The People I have met that have forgone rituals, for one reason or another, I find regret not having the ritual experience for that event later in life. The wedding they never had or getting depressed when no one acknowledges their birthday. Worse, is the women I met who never had a funeral for her husband and three year later was in therapy about unending grief.
Do you live with intentionality and paying attention to life's transitions. Do you embrace the rituals that will help you deal with changes with your physical body and attitudes and the changes occurring with births and deaths of those around us.
If you think about these changes, you will find that you may really enjoy retirement. I am here to help you live life with gusto and to help you to keep pushing forward with your plans on enjoying life.
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