Five Ways to get Through the Day

All of us have daily schedules and daily rituals. These rituals give meaning to our days. Two years ago I found myself with nothing to do. I had no job, I was injured in a motor vehicle accident, and I was just at home.

Before that I had a pretty routine and easy daily ritual. Wake up, get up, do a few things and off to work. But this time of unemployment and injury was an opportunity for me to take stock of my life and pay attention to the things that I do — especially in the morning, the start of the day.

More and more I am becoming aware that morning and daily rituals deepen our spirituality and put us in touch with our deepest self and the sweet experience of who we really are.

At this point in my life my daily routine consists of a couple of rituals at home and at work, five of which I would like to share with you.

Coffee meditation.

I long wrestled with the difficulty of meditating immediately upon waking up. It’s really difficult to have just woken up and then to sit down and meditate because you’re just dozing off the entire time.

But a simple cup of coffee became a meditation ritual for me. I make a cup of coffee, sip it and enjoy all of it. While I am doing that I reflect on what was on my mind the night before, and what lies ahead for me during the coming day.

Keeping a journal.

My coffee has now woken me up and there are a few thoughts which I would like to remember and savour. These I write in my journal. Some mornings it is just one word, other mornings two pages, but either way there is a feeling of completeness once I have written. Some mornings this can even happen before my coffee meditation and sometimes not at all.

Silent meditation.

If there was one practice that I would like to do every single morning with absolute dedication, it would be silent meditation. Mornings are short and I feel rushed. So I cannot do this every morning. Although I love this practice, when and how long I do it, fluctuates. A daily silent meditation is one of the most powerful practices there is and I really want to be more committed to it.

Working.

Most of us go to work everyday: at a job, at home or at church. Work is an extension of who we are. It’s something only humans can do. Animals do not work, they merely live and survive.

Work brings out our creativity, it helps us become better at what we do, and it is a service to humanity. Work gives us dignity. Unemployment is depressing and debilitating when you do not have something meaningful to do. Work can redeem us.

Enjoying relationships.

My work brings me into contact with many people—colleagues, members, beneficiaries, service providers, networks. These relationships are a cornerstone of my day.

Having these relationships is a deep, mostly spiritual experience because I connect with people who bring meaning to my personal and professional life. It is through relationships that we can experience that ultimate reality of who we are

A daily doze of nothingness. I believe each person should have a daily doze of nothingness — a time to just escape the day and forget about the realities of life.

This keeps me sane. At the end of the day I love to just come home and do nothing, watch 7de Laan and for 30 minutes escape into a world of unreality and fantasy.

These rituals keep us connected to ourselves and to our Creator. These rituals become our prayer for the day.