Tiny rituals

so small, so mundane, so lovely

(This voiceover is an audio version of the newsletter below. It’s unedited, and today you’ll probably hear my dog chewing on something and me telling him to shush 😆 If you like/need to listen to these posts I hope you enjoy it regardless!)

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Photo by the blowup on Unsplash

Do you have rituals? Those small acts that feel somehow more significant than others? Things you do out of delight or joy or a sense of specialness?

I do. And for me, they’re so small as to be (almost) silly. Little daily tasks that have, for whatever reason, come to mean so much more than the sum of their parts.

I love opening the curtains. There is something so satisfying and optimistic about it. The swish of the fabric, the slide of the curtain rings, the way the day reveals itself through the window — rainy or foggy or frosty or sunny. And now that the cold months are here, I love the ritual of closing them as the sun sets too, keeping the warmth of the sunshine and the coziness of the fire in the house for as long as possible. Sweet little bookends to the day.

I love wiping the kitchen bench after breakfast. The rest of the house might be a mess, the dishes might be waiting, but wiping that square metre of benchtop is a little pocket of have-done. On low-energy days or super-full days, it might be all that gets done until later. And that’s okay with me.

I love setting up our coffee machine the night before. What is a simple, mundane act — putting the water in the reservoir and the ground coffee beans in the filter — feels like a pre-emptive moment of care, because one of my favourite experiences of every morning is that first cup of coffee. And knowing that Past Me was thinking about Early Next Morning Me just feels nice.

The cutest little paw print in my coffee

These little moments feel special in an every day kind of way. And while they’re all lovely tiny rituals, I felt a little self-conscious about just how ordinary and mundane they are, so wanted to check in and see whether my fellow Tortoises (Tortoisonians?) had any tiny rituals they hold dear.

I asked in last Friday’s Confab (a weekly chat that you’re very welcome to join — we’d love to have you) and it turns out that yes, lots of you have your own delightful tiny moments of ritual and care. I wish I could share them all, but if you’re looking for inspiration to find delight in the tiny moments, you should definitely check out the whole thread. Here are some beautiful tiny rituals, as shared by this community:

💚 Cleansing my face before bed

💚 Putting on my makeup

💚 I love to do the morning dishes in hot sudsy water

💚 I make a pot of loose-leaf tea as soon as I get up then drink the first cup whilst writing a daily page or two

💚 Every night at bedtime I read a book and just before I open it I apply cream to my hands and give myself a little hand massage

💚 Applying lip balm

💚 Putting towels away (don’t know why, but I love the way they look in my linen closet)

💚 My daughter and I eat breakfast together weekday mornings and always listen to the same piano music

💚 Running my evening bath and lighting a candle

💚 Lighting a candle and enjoying a nightcap with my partner

💚 Light a candle every morning for our family breakfast

💚 Filling up a flask of coffee for myself whenever I take the children out for a trip or play meet

💚 My morning cuddle with my cat

💚 I take time to really hear the birds waking up around my home

💚 Curtains closed and salt lamp and fairy lights on each evening

💚 Keeping our fire stoked

💚 A pot of loose leaf Darjeeling in the morning and cup of herbal at night before bed with a single cube of Aldi 85% chocolate

So lovely, right?

And what else I thought was beautiful were the reasons people gave for enjoying these moments so much. Intentional bookends to the day, a pocket of peace amongst the chaos, a choice to do something nice for themselves, or a reminder to tap into the genuinely nice things that surround us.

Tell me, do you have any tiny rituals that just feel nice? Are they as random as some of mine? (I also love wiping the bathroom mirror after a shower and crushing fresh garlic.) Feel free to share in the comments below or swing by the Chat.

I’ll be back on Thursday, and for now am off to see if I have any candles to light.
Brooke xx