As I Was Saying

before rudely being interrupted by illness.  (haha) I do thrive on rhythm, routine, and ritual. It takes all three to make me a happy and productive girl.

My morning rhythm is something like this: wake up, make/pack Son's breakfast & lunch, make coffee, try to drink on cup while doing nothing else, wake up Son, take Son to school, Day Begins.

My morning routine looks something like this:
5:00a Wake up
5:15a Out of bed & dressed
5:40a Prepare Son's Breakfast/Lunch
6:00a Make & Drink Coffee
6:30a Wake up Son
6:45a Take Son To School
7:20a Return Home & Start the Day


The ritual part of the above morning rhythm is the making the coffee and is probably the most structured part of my day. Remember that ritual is: From the Chopra Center: "A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for its symbolic value. When you combine the symbolism of the ritual with some sort of meaning . . . the result is transformation."  So the intent of my morning ritual is: to wake my body up with the smell of coffee and kick of caffeine, to take the time necessarily to nurture just myself (I'm the only coffee drinker so I'm truly doing something just for me), to be fully present in the moment as I prepare and drink the first cup.

My coffee ritual is a spin off of my tea ritual. When I got home from Washington I had a hard time making a full pot of coffee in the machine and only drinking about two cups before dumping the rest.  (no matter how nice it was to use the timer to have the coffee ready when I woke) Luckily I had a old coffee press in my cupboard. I looked up the proper way to make the perfect cup of coffee using the press and viola! a new coffee ritual. I boil water, I measure grounds, I pick a mug, I get my cream and sugar, I count the minutes as it brews - all the right makings of ritual. Steps in a specific order to produce a desired result: a calm, nurtured, fully present and awake momma.

Some days I feel lonely after having adapted to sharing that morning cup with my siblings in Washington. Some days I wake up late and send Son to school and then make my cuppa. No matter the surrounding circumstances and changes to my rhythm or routine the ritual remains the same. It has been a life raft for me in trying to get my bearings and return to normal after our awesome summer away from home.