Quotable Sunday.

A routine is an activity or a sequence of activities that takes place at the same time and in the same order daily or weekly. A ritual may be done routinely or not, but it is made a ritual by the attention and intention the participants give to it. For example, a blessing before eating may be a ritual is the family feels gratitude or reverence during the blessing, but if the blessing is said without thought or attention, it is more of a routine than a ritual.

Susan Usha Dermond, Calm and Compassionate Children: A Handbook

Comments

[Chelsea]

so, so true. I can think of many routines in my childhood that felt more of a chore than anything significant. I so want the rituals we develop as a family to hold meaning and warmth. +Chelsea

[Grace]

good quote!

[Linnea]

That is a clear distinction. I think that focus, intention, and attention certainly distinguish rituals and routines. Yet it is interesting that the same repeated activity can hold different meaning on different days or for various participants. This quote makes me think about providing the routines that may or may not be ritualistic at certain times and for certain individuals. Thanks for getting me thinking!

[Kelly]

great reminder!

[Annie]

Intention/attention mean so much!

[kate]

we read the same books! or I should say, I buy the same books and they sit in a big pile in my bookshelf! perhaps if you quoted just a bit more from each, it would be as if I had read them! ;) And also, to comment, this is one issue that makes me yearn - we have many routine moments in our family where we invite the reverence, but often it feels empty and well, I just keep holding the space hoping it will turn magical (sometimes.)

[Gillian]

Kyrie, I have been thinking about your wise words on rhythm over the weekend and I have come to realise that in order to develop a rhythm that sustains my family, I need to work on my own rhythms. Specifically in the areas of sleeping and waking and housework. I tend to stay up very late now that my girls are older and themselves go to bed later, so I can have some me-time reading or blog-viewing. But then I am often tired and dispirited the next day which makes it hard to be present for my family. With housework, I love my home and really want to create an orderly (and clean enough!) place for my children to feel comfortable and secure, but somehow I really struggle with the reality of it. So I realise I do have a question for you - how do you organise your housekeeping tasks? Do you allocate a different day to each aspect - wash day, cleaning day, etc or have a day/days when you get it all done at once. And do you have any good tips to help me keep on top of things? Many thanks