Rhythms and Rituals

As I write this, Ontario is back in a stay at home order which is in place until May 20. Vaccinations are proceeding, but not quickly enough to keep up with the spread of the variants at this time. Again, for the sake of the health and safety of all of us, we must find a way to comply with a stay at home order, while at the same time remaining as calm and contented as possible. How can we do this?

As I have been pondering this for myself, I have been realizing that close attention to creating and maintaining a calming and comforting routine is the most helpful for me. For instance, every morning I make a cup of coffee to take up to bed and drink while quietly reading and relaxing. At lunchtime, I look forward to coffee and a few Fudgeeos, while listening to favourite relaxing music in my study. At suppertime, we always light a candle as we sit down for the evening meal. After supper, we go for a 20-30 minute walk, after we have done the dishes together, then return for a cup of herbal tea and a couple of digestive cookies. At around the same time each evening, I go upstairs to enjoy a fragrant bubble bath, then tuck into bed with a relaxing novel. (I am still rereading the Mitford series!)

These simple things form the basis of a comforting routine for me and are touchstones for my day. The fact that I can look forward to them, and feel pleasure and comfort while engaging in them, is what keeps me going through the very quiet days while we wait to be released from a stay at home order yet again.