I’ve been recognizing rhythms of my life, lately. I think it all started on our trip to the Smokey Mountains with our two grown children. Daily rhythms change when you’re away from home, and I suppose that’s what made them so recognizable to me.
In a hotel room, the sound of the river rushing by outside the balcony was different from the sound of life in an apartment complex. The smell of the hotel room was different from the smell of home. The lighting was different. The rhythms of four people getting ready were different than two people getting ready.
Having to wait until 8:00 a.m. to order homemade donuts delivered straight to your door is very different than waking up to a 5:00 a.m. alarm, having tea, reading, and going for that crisp autumn morning walk.
When rhythms change, we notice them more readily.
But once returned to the normal everyday rhythms of life, in one’s own space, in one’s favorite dressing gown, with one’s favorite cup, one quickly realizes that it’s those normal everyday slow rhythms that make up one remarkable life.
As I stood there in my striped robe with ruffles and steeped my tea with cream, and as I slowly stirred a freshly fed sourdough starter, an old song played in my mind. “In the wee, small hours of morning, while the whole wide world is fast asleep. You lie awake and think about that girl, and you never ever think of counting sheep…”
Sometimes that’s how my morning rhythm begins.
I wake before the 5:00 a.m. alarm. I lie there for a moment, I remember my tea with cream, and my sourdough starter waiting to be stirred. I lumber out of bed, put on my new favorite cotton robe, and I creep quietly into the kitchen. I turn on the soft lamp light – no overhead lighting allowed. I turn on the kettle and I wait.
Now I simply wait.
I wait for the tea to steep. I wait for the starter to proof. Waiting is good for the soul. A simple reminder that slow isn’t an enemy, but rather a friend. What are steps in a process today brings about fresh bread tomorrow.
When the world is loud – and the world right now is very loud, indeed – don’t forget to savor the normal, everyday things. They add up to one remarkable life.
What are the rhythms of your life? Have you ever considered them? What are the little everyday rituals that bring you joy, keep you feeling grounded, or settle the overwhelm? Embrace them. I believe you’ll find solace from the chaos of life, when you embrace the good things hidden away within your life.
