We love hearing about this community’s daily habits, meaningful foods, and bedtime wind-downs. These everyday routines sometimes prop us up enough to grapple with the bigger challenges in life; and sometimes they just bring us joy. Here are 12 great reader comments on rituals…
On meaningful foods:
“My husband is genuinely repulsed by the smell of mushrooms sautéing, so whenever he goes out of town, I make mushroom risotto for myself. I have the recipe memorized, and you can feel when it’s ready by the way the spoon pushes through the thickened rice. The point is, you have to be in the moment — not on your phone, not emptying the dishwasher — just you and the risotto. I could write a novel on it.” — Megan
“My ex-husband and I split up six years ago, and on Sunday evenings, our daughter stays with him. So, I banish my Sunday scaries with a delightful cheese plate, along with fig jam and Castelvetrano olives. I enjoy the time with myself so much that I get bummed if I have ‘actual’ plans for a Sunday evening.” — Elizabeth
“While visiting England, we took a long country walk that ended at a pub. Inside, a group of people were eating cake. I assumed it was someone’s birthday until someone said that this week’s cake wasn’t as good as last week’s. That’s when we learned they had a Friday tradition of meeting at the pub, eating cake, and drinking a pint. I’d never heard of anything more perfect. We’ve now recreated it with our upstairs neighbors.” — Kim
On love for pets:
“This will sound unusual, but one of my favorite rituals is walking my cat! I adopted him as a tiny kitten shortly after a sad breakup, and he turned out to be so adventurous that I learned how to harness train him, and now we walk around our neighborhood a few times a week. He’s a fluffy orange cat, but I joke that he’s a dog. He LOVES meeting people, and everyone’s delighted to see him out and about.” — Claire
On the magic of TV:
“As my kids have become tweens/teens, they want to show me a never-ending supply of memes and videos. To manage the interruptions, I have them write down a list on the fridge. Then on Fridays, we settle in together and work through the list. We make popcorn, just like a movie night, and it makes for a fun night that we all look forward to.” — Erin
“My teenage son was struggling with depression. At a certain point, family dinners became impossible for him — he had no appetite and was barely able to interact. Looking for a distraction, we started watching Seinfeld from the very beginning. Hearing him chuckle at Kramer’s or George’s antics felt like a tiny miracle. We just finished watching the entire series.” — Jane
On solo habits:
“After dinner, my wife takes our daughter for a walk, while I put on noise-canceling headphones and do the dishes. I cherish the alone time. I usually listen to podcasts, but recently I’ve started off the dishes with BTS’s ‘Butter.’ It’s such an upbeat song, and I’m able to dance from sink to dishwasher to cabinets without feeling self-conscious.” — Taylor
On family connections:
“My sons are four and six, and last year the oldest said he wanted to celebrate ‘Brothers Day’ on the day exactly between their birthdays. The day is to filled with whatever they want to do. So, this past July 11, we went for a hike, had snow cones, went swimming in a river, and watched a movie. It was an excellent new ritual that is now marked on our calendar.” — Tracy
“Whenever I have an important presentation, I picture my entire family and their lovely faces. Back in college, I would think of my mom, dad and brother. Then, when I got married, my husband got added to the list, and now our three kids also feature in it. The ritual grounds me and gets me ready for the big moment.” — Gargi
On shouting for joy, or not:
“I live in Sydney, and I often drive over a bridge with a great view of the harbor. I’ve probably crossed this bridge thousands of times, but one day, on a whim, I wound down the windows and screamed, ‘WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT, SYDNEY?!’ It was such a release! Now I do it every time I drive over that bridge — sometimes quietly in my head, but usually by belting it out.” — Laura
“While on a walk near a local dam, I saw a family with two kids, all screaming at the top of their lungs. As I walked by, the mom apologized and said, ‘Sorry this is where we come to scream.’ I couldn’t help but laugh. I feel like we all need a place like that.” — Courtney
On this wonderful community:
“My ritual is Cup of Jo! I come here every day. All my big life moments — graduating from med school, getting married, having a child, settling into a home, having another child — were spent with this extraordinary community with which I’ve learned and grown so much.” — Iva
Do you have any rituals? We’re all ears.
P.S. 14 more wonderful reader comments on rituals, and 11 readers share their favorite photos of the year.
(Photo by Ivan Ozerov/Stocksy.)
