We do not think ourselves into new ways of living; we live ourselves into new ways of thinking. –Richard Rohr

I’ve started a new ritual!

Normally, I spend my entire afternoon drinking Diet Coke or Coke Zero with the thought that this chemically-induced high will keep me going through the difficult part of the day. What I’m coming to realize is that perhaps a gift I could give myself (instead of limitless diet soda) is the gift of a new ritual.

We use our rituals to help us cope, to help us feel protected, to help us feel safe in the world. Sometimes, on closer inspection, we see that our rituals aren’t actually helping and we might care for ourselves by finding rituals that are more inline with being whole and healthy.

I’m often way low on energy and I decided that I would try something new. I KNOW Diet Coke isn’t the best thing for me. I can give you a dozen reasons why it’s taking me down down down. But isn’t that the whole point? We can’t think ourselves into new ways of living. We must actually live ourselves into new ways of thinking.

So, my new afternoon ritual is tea and toast. It feels vaguely British. It feels like a treat. I drink a bit of English Breakfast tea with some Dave’s Killer Bread covered in almond butter. And I skip the soda.

What you see when you begin replacing rituals is that good decisions, just like bad decisions, have a momentum to them. When we take the time to take care of ourselves—body, soul, and spirit—we tend to build on each good decision.

Here’s to tea and toast.

What ritual are you replacing these days?