Everyday Rituals

Families unconsciously fall into rituals. Rituals govern who sits in which seat at meals, who gets which section of the newspaper first, how we say goodbye or goodnight to each other, what we do when we come home, which lights are left on at night, how the table is set, how chores are divided, where things are stored. The list goes on and on. When our sons come home, they know where to sit at dinner without being told; they fall into old patterns. They expect to find certain foods in the pantry and certain books on the shelves. There are families where very little is consistent from day to day, and families more organized than ours. I expect we don't even recognize many of the familiar things we do over and over without thinking. I have read that even the way people argue with each other tends to fall into ritualistic patterns too.

The everyday rituals I am thinking of today are the comforting ones, the loving ones. They make life familiar and reduce stress. I like the patterns. Maybe when I was 20 I would have wanted every day to be a surprise,  but no longer! Now the rituals are a blessing.