photo by sintwister – click image for more info
Two weeks ago I moved to a new town. The transition has brought many changes, some expected and some unexpected. But perhaps the most unexpected discovery has been the power of mangoes.
The wonderful thing about a move is that it gives you a buffet of do-vers. Contents of your fridge expired and dull? Do-over. Closet filled with long-forgotten finds? Do-over. That beach towel I’ve hated for the last 8 years? Gone. Purged. Do-over.
But it’s not just objects that get the works, it’s also your time. New setting, new floorplan, maybe even a new job. Routines are broken and get to be rebuilt.
My new and accidental routine has become eating a mango for breakfast each day.
I love their color, mottled on the outside and glossy yellow-orange on the inside. The gradual metamorphosis from grab-able to slippery fish as I peel them. And the resistance against the knife! I adore the texture of the fruit meat, and the sweetness, and the mess of juice on the cutting board when I’m done. The pile of peels.
Each day is the same, but filled with subtle variations.
This is what a ritual looks like. It begins when I search the fridge for the softest fruit and ends when the knife and cutting board have been washed. Short. Simple. Succulent. And powerfully grounding.
“When tea becomes ritual, it takes its place at the heart of our ability to see greatness in small things. Where is beauty to be found? In great things that, like everything else, are doomed to die, or in small things that aspire to nothing, yet know how to set a jewel of infinity in a single moment?”
― Muriel Barbery, The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Do you have a daily ritual? What do you love about it?
Gathering light,
About Laura Simms
I also just underwent a very dramatic move with my husband, overseas to Germany. Mangoes have played a role in getting us back to normal, too. Cooking together is our ritual and this weekend we had our first home-cooked meal in our new place. We dined on blueberry-mango mahi mahi and enjoyed ourselves immensely, despite still being furniture-less! Thanks for a great post!
My mango is jealous of your blueberries and mahi mahi!
Congratulations on your new home, Laura. Rituals are very important to me – especially at the start of the day. I like to wake up early. In fact, part of my morning ritual is to set my internal alarm to go off before the alarm clock goes off. Then I do my oil pulling, cleanse my mouth with salt water and drink a cup of lemon water, after which I do my yoga and meditation. Several times, when life has gotten more stressful, I’ve made the mistake of thinking I’ll save time by cutting my daily ritual(s) out of my schedule and every single time I’ve proven myself so very wrong. Thanks for a lovely post and best of luck in your new town!
Lisa, once they’re established, the compromising them thing doesn’t go so well, does it?
You’d think you’d learn after the umpteenth time, right? lol
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