Rituals
This weekend marks the last Farmer's Market in Des Moines for this year. There will be two more "winter markets" indoors, but the REAL farmer's market is over. This makes me sad because I LOVE the Farmer's Market. I love the people watching, the food, the atmosphere. I have created many rich memories with friends and family walking the streets of downtown. I am giddy with excitement when I think of one of my favorite rituals... getting my soy caramel latte from Java Joe's. Java Joe's is a local establishment that has a great vibe. Their baristas are fun and diverse...there are always tattoos to check out and dreads to behold.Getting my coffee on Saturday mornings is one ritual in my life that brings me happiness. My tea ritual, my bedtime rituals...they are all part of who I am. I believe that rituals are so important...to bring order, to bring comfort, to bring expectant joy. Rituals are especially important for children, and we strive to have them in our family. Family dinners, reading familiar books, having nightly rituals. At the same time, we enjoy being free-spirited and take part in spur-of-the-moment activities. Ritual does not mean a loss of spontaneity in your life. Ritual is life!
posted by Sara at 2:11 PM
8 Comments:
That was beautifully written...that's why I like you! You write what I don't even realize I've been thinking!
i love java joe's- i can remember driving downtown DM after i got my driver's license (and not telling my parents that i was driving around downtown by myself!) and driving past there, wanting to go check it out but being a little too intimidated to go in myself! now it's where i like to go to catch up with DM friends when i'm back in town! i wish the s. suburbs of chicago where we live had small privately owned coffee shops. a little more atmosphere than dunkin donuts. (although i do love dunkin. ;)
We are sad about this Saturday being the last of our Farmer's Markets for this year but we are going to make the best of it...I will keep you posted!
rituals is one area I lack in, I love the spontinaety and have so little discipline...Taylor's bedtime routine is the only ritual I can think of right now, but hearing him pray for everyone every night and those kisses and the "nigh-night momma" That is something to treasure.
I was reading a marriage book recently that had this tiny little aside... about how ritual is one of the things that keeps a couple together.
So, ritual is life, as you say... and perhaps that is because ritual is (or can be) intertwined with relationship, the promise that "we will be together."
I love your posts! You always give me something to thin about and you are such an inspiration!
Sara, I love rituals as well. My Saturday mornings have been a beautiful ritual of visiting the farmers market (and chatting with everyone). We have a winter market through November, but it won't be the same.
One of our favorite family rituals is pizza night. Every Friday I make homemade pizza (I even did this right before giving birth a few weeks ago). We drink rootbeer and eat pizza - often watching a movie afterwards. It is great fun! Oh, you are right - New Ulm is close... I usually think of microbrew rootbeer (which we had a plethora of in NE MN).
I think traditions are really important, especially if they're customized to/by you and serve to nurture, to ground, to comfort.
Often, I think one's childhood and/or society-at-large defines tradition...and that may or may not work for you as an adult. You've got to decide for yourself, and be open to creating new traditions if need be.
BTW, great blog!
P.S. Do you type up blog posts in Microsoft Word? If you're not careful, Word will add a lot of gobbledygook to your code and cause problems for some feed readers.
wil...thanks! I did type up my "clothing" post in Word, but that's the only one. Thanks for the tip!
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