Rituals

While going for the usual Starbucks run with co-workers a co-worker of mine was talking about the family ski trip he makes with his daughters. We were talking about all the activities outside of the trip like eating at a favorite restaurant or eating a favorite type of food after the ski trip. He made the comment that these things were rituals.

I have not thought of many of the things that I do as rituals but they are. Anything from going for coffee each morning, to bringing books to read with me when I ride the bus, or drinking a shake two hours after I work out. Even something as simple as choosing to make my eggs a certain way or see movies at a certain theater are rituals that color my life. I may not always think of them as such, too often they are just things that I look forward to for a period of time. Many times I only look forward to how they make me feel and this is what makes them rituals.

They are symbolic in the sense that I do not engage in these activities for any hidden meaning but how they make me feel. That feeling of satisfaction at that moment I could not attain in any other way. They have meaning in what the experience provides me.