Do you have any tiny rituals? I love to spot Nadal’s many during a match. Setting the bench parallel to the court, arranging his water bottles, adjusting his socks before every save, the list goes on. What does each action mean to him? What would happen if he stopped?

Fiction Bite - Petals for Daisy

As a girl, she’d spend the long summer hours plucking the petals off daisies.

“He loves me, he loves me not.”

No matter how the last petal fell, she went to the dances alone.

“There’s still time,” she would tell herself, heading to yet another friend's wedding. No plus one. She’d sit on the singles table turning the vases into confetti.

Her niece brings flowers into the care home every week. Huge bunches that filled her room with the scent of summer. She smiles, of course she’s happy here. There’s so much to do. And once she’s alone, she’ll pluck the first stem from the vase. A daisy, if she can.

Quote of the Week

“The function of ritual, as I understand it, is to give form to human life, not in the way of a mere surface arrangement, but in depth.” Joseph Campbell.

Book of the Month - Half a Creature From the Sea. Full review here.

Final Words

I’ve developed my own rituals over the years. Before I write, I do this. Before I sleep, that. Each designed for a reason, worked in with effort. Now they’re automatic, I’d have to work to not do them. I’ve coded my day, but I wonder, is the rigidity worth the benefits? What do I miss by not being spontaneous? How do I know if they’re still working for me?

I could stop, see what happens. But I won’t, not yet. My security blanket of habits is only just completed. It’d be a shame to destroy it so soon. Right?

With Love

Joe

P.S. What did you think of this week’s email? Which was your favourite bit? What didn’t work for you? Hit reply and let me know.