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Thread: Rituals

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    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    Rituals

    I was washing the dishes (by hand) this morning and my mind wandered to my grandmother and great-aunt--the relatives I lived with in the summer. They had a very old, original porcelain double farm sink. We used a galvanized tub in the sink to wash the dishes in. My grandmother dried and I washed, but she instilled the following ritual in me and I was not to deviate: wash glasses and cups first, then utensils, then dishware, then pots and pans, which would be dried, not with a towel, but with paper towels so if there was any leftover grease on the pots it wouldn't ruin the cloth dishtowels.

    I see ritual as being a little different than routine. A routine is a regular, repeated pattern of behavior, but ritual has an element of purpose to it. In the case of the dishwashing, the purpose was to make sure the dishes that touch the mouth were washed first to reduce likelihood of leaving germs from the dirty water.

    Of course, in addition to these mundane household rituals there are religious rituals and rituals that mark special events, like birthdays and anniversaries.

    As kind of a pre-New Year review of how you work or play around things that are important to you, I'm wondering what rituals you have?
    "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
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    Senior Member Teacher Terry's Avatar
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    Catherine, I was taught to wash dishes the same way.

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    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Teacher Terry View Post
    Catherine, I was taught to wash dishes the same way.
    Interesting! Maybe that ritual was common when everyone washed dishes by hand!
    "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
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    I've never heard this about washing dishes and I've washed dishes by hand since I could reach the sink (standing on a stool) up to this very day. Interesting!

    The only "ritual" that comes to mind is a silly little thing from an aunt... when removing clothes from the washing machine, always "shake" each piece out - whether it is being line-dried or going into the dryer. This allows for the clothes to dry quicker and somewhat less wrinkled.
    To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer." Mahatma Gandhi
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    Always remove the meat from the turkey carcus the day you make the turkey (thanksgiving generally). Who knows why or if it is actually true, by old wives tales keeps it from going bad. Guiltily I remove meat from a chicken after putting a whole left-over carcus in the fridge and having it trouble my conscience. What's good for the turkey is good for the chicken right? I guess so ...

    My dishes though, I don't have a dishwasher, but I let them air dry on the dishrack and do them in no particular order, and really I'm not looking to make life MORE difficult by having to do dishes in order as well.
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    It sticks in my head that my mother always said when bathing/showering "start from the top and work your way down." One of our new found rituals is to take two walks a day and just wander through the neighborhood or nearby parks.

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    Senior Member razz's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Teacher Terry View Post
    Catherine, I was taught to wash dishes the same way.
    Me, too. Not sure if I was taught or it simply seemed the right way to leave the greasy stuff to the last or the glass wouldn't sparkle Never got into the habit of paper towels although I do use them. I would rather have a number of dish towels to launder.

    In regard to rituals, I love my first cup of coffee before I do anything else beyond letting the dog out and feeding him. He has a ritual as well lol - I must give him his loaded Kong or he will pester me until I do. Right after he empties the Kong, he goes back to bed and I can relax and enjoy my coffee and peaceful meditation ritual.

    Each evening before bed, I make a tour of the three doors leading outside to ensure that they are properly locked. If I forget to this, it will bother me enough to interfere with getting to sleep so I get up and do it.

    I always check that the stove is off before leaving the house based on a scary moment long ago of coming back to a simmering pot that went dry and then black and got thrown out.
    As Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”

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    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by razz View Post

    In regard to rituals, I love my first cup of coffee before I do anything else beyond letting the dog out and feeding him. He has a ritual as well lol - I must give him his loaded Kong or he will pester me until I do. Right after he empties the Kong, he goes back to bed and I can relax and enjoy my coffee and peaceful meditation ritual.
    Love both your and your pup's rituals! My ritual is the same as yours minus the dog, but I certainly spent decades incorporating my dog's rituals into mine in the morning.
    "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
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    Quote Originally Posted by pinkytoe View Post
    It sticks in my head that my mother always said when bathing/showering "start from the top and work your way down." One of our new found rituals is to take two walks a day and just wander through the neighborhood or nearby parks.
    Yes, I've heard of and done the "top-down" showering.
    To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer." Mahatma Gandhi
    Be nice whenever possible. It's always possible. HH Dalai Lama
    In a world where you can be anything - be kind. Unknown

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    Senior Member KayLR's Avatar
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    I was taught to wash dishes that way too, but the reason given was washing the least dirty to the most, in that order.

    The only rituals I have at the moment I can think of are:
    Morning newspaper and coffee followed by morning ablutions.
    Eating breakfast at my work desk.
    Tea at 2:30 p.m. break
    My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished two bags of M&Ms and a chocolate cake. I feel better already!

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