Rit-u-al a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order

Every morning I get out of bed, lay out my yoga mat and bolster, turn on my morning playlist ( the very same one each morning) and head downstairs to make one cup of green tea and one cup of warm lemon water. I head back upstairs and begin my morning stretching, yoga and meditation. While I would like to say this is non-negotiable—that I am flawless at upholding this ritual and that I am better for it—well, that would simply not be true (and comical all at the same time). True is, this ritual matters to me. True is, life gets in the way. True is that we all hear the same message about seven days makes a habit, early risers are more successful and a whole slew of other blanket statements that undermine the actual beauty behind a ritual.

There are days I skip the stretching. There are days I do not meditate first thing in the morning. Am I aware of the choice > You bet. This ritual brings meaning to my mornings because I choose it in that moment. If we are anything alike, you are craving one less task, one less thing to admit you forgot or simply could not squeeze in to a packed day. So let it go. Enjoy some of it or all of it. We are doing it kids, we are finding the grace in the sometimes.