TRADITIONS, gratitude, day 16

Traditions are sometimes considered to be a cumbersome burden of the past generation, a senile rut that overbearingly forces its own repeating. When we are young and immortal we tend to dismiss traditions as a sign of a loss of spontanaity and we might work very hard to do anything except that of which our elders approve. But here's the thing...as the years creep by I am finding the comfort that lies at the heart of upholding traditions. These repeated celebrations and patterns put a sort of bookmark between the hurried moments of life and allow us to pause and collect a grander sense of the scheme of things. I may not remember the blur of last years daily comings and goings but I do have a sense of certain singular moments. Sharing meals, gathering during the holidays, celebrating birthdays,...these are the obvious ones. But what about the other traditions we create? A standing coffee date with a girlfriend, a weekly date night with a loved one, a workout partner that you see twice a week...these committments are just as important and can help create a support network when the rest of life gets a bit scattered and chaotic. Creating traditions for yourself, by yourself, is also important. It will create structure for your day and provide a springboard from which to make bold decisions. Put it this way...If I didn't create a box for my mind to work in I wouldn't have any point of reference to note when I joyfully jump outside of it. Traditions support our days and create reference points for reflection upon our lives. I am thankful for this tradition I have right now of meeting with you on my laptop every morning, coffee in hand, in which I set my day off to a beautiful beginning with thankfulness and a grateful heart. I'm telling you, its changing my life by realizing how amazing and fragile this journey is. And with Thanksgiving and my fathers birthday and Christmas all around the corner, I smile thinking about sharing these traditional celebrations with the people I love.