36 Comments

“Sweet little bookends to the day” - this hit me. I’ve been neglecting creating a bookend to my day.. time to create one

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yes those little daily rituals make life sweeter. My fave little ritual when my son cant sleep is we sneak back downstairs to share chocolate coated digestives and a cup of tea together. My husband and other son are usually asleep so it's time just for us and he usually shares secrets he wouldn't tell me otherwise. I have similar ones with my other son who is an early bird. A lovely way to start and end the day...I do sometimes wish for time on my own but then I know I'll miss these gentle sweet moments.

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May 22, 2023Liked by Brooke McAlary

Filling my hot water bottle before bed and sliding into a neatly made bed. Evening Me is always grateful to Morning Me for taking the time to make the bed, even when the morning is busy.

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May 22, 2023Liked by Brooke McAlary

What delighted me in the comments in the chat was the number of times that a cup or pot of tea featured! A cuppa is a sacrosanct bookend to the beginning of my day and when I think about it, reading a chapter or two before sleep invariably bookends the other. The power of little actions cannot be underestimated x

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May 22, 2023Liked by Brooke McAlary

My best friend, who lives in a different town, and I play wordle and quordle daily and share results with each other. Followed by a very quick catchup and sometimes not even that ... we have been doing that for almost 15 months now I think. The day one of us misses it, surely we can expect the other to send a concerned text or call before noontime 😃

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May 22, 2023Liked by Brooke McAlary

We open the curtains and say ‘good morning new day’ - it helps to set the day off to a ‘good’ start no matter what the weather is or what it might have in store for us. It’s always an extra bonus if we can see the cows on the paddocks opposite us 🥰 Rituals of self care for myself are harder to include consistently with a 2.5yo and 3m old, but this one is easy and my daughter loves it too 🌈

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May 22, 2023Liked by Brooke McAlary

I very much relate to book-ending the start and end of the day with delicious hot beverages. My husband preps the coffee pot the night before as well. Our coffee maker has a built-in bean grinder that grinds the beans just before brewing. It is hands down my favourite coffee, and it is an excellent motivator to get going for the day. At night, I always settle with some herbal tea and a good book, getting myself nice and relaxed before heading up to bed at night. Truly, life’s little rituals really do make us feel rich.

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May 22, 2023Liked by Brooke McAlary

I have never really grown out of checking on the kids to make sure they are breathing before my husband and I go to bed. Just me? I'm pretty sure every parent of a baby does this but maybe not for as long as this? Anyway my kids are now 9, 7 and 4 and even though I'm no longer worried they have suddenly stopped breathing I still go in every night before I head to bed, rest my hand on their chest and feel them slowly and calmly breathing. I love it.

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May 22, 2023Liked by Brooke McAlary

My corgi loves to sleep in, and will only get out of her bed when she hears me take the first bite of my toast. She summons me to let her out of the bedroom with a scratch of a claw on the door, then stretches up against my leg before sharing my breakfast. Sometimes I do try to scoff as much toast as I can before answering the summons, but I do love our little morning ritual.

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May 23, 2023Liked by Brooke McAlary

I'm just so happy you're here Brooke and that you've brought together this lovely little community. I've listened to the podcast for a long time and I save the longer podcasts to listen to when I'm walking but I love being able to tune into the substack and read/listen/engage over a cup of something warming. That's a lovely little ritual in itself now that I think about it.

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May 22, 2023Liked by Brooke McAlary

I have a very warm and heavy pure wool cardigan from Cornwall, England, that still smells faintly of sheep. Putting it on makes me so happy, it means the weather is finally cold enough (I love winter), it feels like I'm being held in a warm hug, and the smell reminds me of home.

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May 22, 2023Liked by Brooke McAlary

I never really thought of these as rituals thank you for reminding me of the simple things that bring peace and delight. A pot of tea with my breakfast of porridge in the winter and muesli in the summer. Preparing hot water bottle just before bedtime.

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I've been lighting a candle in my office at work a lot in the last year. It's a little bit of cozy and I can't enjoy candles at home because I have two cats who don't know how to behave on countertops.

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May 22, 2023Liked by Brooke McAlary

Getting up before my partner, making tea, sitting in my recliner with the dogs, writing in my journal, enjoying the quiet or putting on TV/ cable on the soundscape channel for soothing music. Ie we had our own home it have a porch & I'd be out there 😁

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May 23, 2023Liked by Brooke McAlary

I have a lights out chat with my 5 year old each night. We have a standard set of questions we both answer, or we can talk about something else if she wants. One night she wanted to skip questions to ask how a microwave works, I did my best...

Our questions are:

What was the best part of your day?

What was the most difficult part?

What's something you could have done better and how? (I always like to make sure she's realistic, you can't write a word right if you don't know how to spell it)

What's something you did well or makes you feel proud?

What are you looking forward to about tomorrow?

I'm not big with playing, and felt a lot of guilt with that, but since we've started this is really helped both of us with a sense of connection.

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Jun 5, 2023Liked by Brooke McAlary

A spritz or two of a lovely perfume on my neck before heading off to work.

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