Turning the dread of routine into the delight of ritual
In so many aspects of life, consistency is a key factor to success. We must consistently brush our teeth to keep proper dental hygiene. We must consistently do the dishes to keep the kitchen clean and pleasant. We must consistently practice to hone our skills. We must consistently do our job to earn a living. The examples are endless.
However, besides the great importance of consistency, it also contains a deep and common pitfall. It can make life dreadful. The repetition, the routine, it clashes with our deeply spiritual desire to live freely and spontaneously.
A routine is dead. It is mechanical. It is habitual and compulsive. It is unconscious. It lacks awareness.
Because of this, we often create mental barriers towards certain activities/chores/behaviours that cause avoidance/frustration/dissatisfaction/...
It doesn't have to be that way. It is possible to enjoy the menial tasks of life we seem to have been ordained to perpetually undergo.
A ritual is alive. It flows. A ritual is performed with intentionality and dignity. A ritual requires deliberate action with a profound reverence for every step of the task at hand.
By bringing consciousness and awareness into routine, we invigorate it. We make it alive and turn it into a ritual.