Today I was thinking about rituals and routines. They are kind of the same thing, but subtly different, maybe. I read online that a routine is something that just needs to be done, like taking a shower or making the bed. A ritual is an action that contains a type of reverence; it is a more meaningful practice with a sense of purpose. Here is what I think are examples of my one of my routines and one of my rituals.
1. A routine. Every night, I have a routine when I'm getting ready for bed. I take out my contacts. I floss my teeth (because you can't neglect your gums!), then I brush my teeth for two minutes. I have an electric toothbrush with a timer, so it's easy. Then I rinse brush for a minute. I wash my face and put moisturizer on my skin. I put on my glasses and put lotion on my hands, then I go to bed. I rarely deviate from this routine because it takes care of all the stuff I need.
2. A ritual. Maybe this is going to sound strange, but making coffee is a ritual for me. I fill up the water tank with cool, filtered water. I grind the beans, then measure out the fresh grounds into the filter, adding a dash of salt. The filter container with the beans goes into the machine; the pot is ready and waiting for the coffee to brew. I turn on the machine, waiting for the whir of the motor, then I press the desired number of cups. While the coffee is brewing, I put the rest of the supplies back in the cupboard and clean and put away the grinder. By the time all that is done, there's enough freshly brewed coffee in the pot for my first cup. It is a routine, certainly, but it's also kind of a meditation. I like the flow of it. I also don't do it every day. I only make a pot of coffee two or three times a week. The other days, I will usually just pop in a K-cup or stop at Starbucks. Maybe that is another difference between a ritual and a routine - the ritual might not be something that happens every day? I don't know.
3. My three dog home. There is certainly an adjustment period when adding a new member to the family. Stella the Aussie dog is settling in and finding her voice (literally) with the other two puppers. Stella loves, loves, loves to play fetch and will happily chase a thrown object and bring it right back to you for another toss. I tire of the game much more quickly than she does. It's hard to deny her a toss, though, because her eyes get so bright and she gets a happy dog smile on her face. Harley sometimes loses her dog mind when Stella starts happy-growling and shaking her head around with the toy in her mouth. Harley will start barking, which causes Stella to bark. Mac was joining in the chorus, but she has stopped doing that, thankfully.
Going for walks has been interesting. The first few days, not one of the dogs could seem to walk in a straight line, so their leashes kept getting tangled up. Stella was so happy to go walking that she would yip and criss-cross the sidewalk, sometimes walking under Harley or hopping over Mac's leash. It was funny and annoying. I spent more time stopping to untangle leashes than walking. The three of them are getting a lot better at it now. I was telling Lizzie and MT on Tuesday that I didn't know if this three dog thing was going to work, but they both reminded me it had only been a few days. I also said the same thing when we got Harley a couple of years ago, and now I can't imagine being without my Harley Bear. It's only been a week since Stella got here. Stay tuned for further updates.
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