// you’re reading...

filed in Daily Life

Play Ball 2017

Today is the beginning of baseball season and I’m thinking about the value of rituals. They’re familiar and dependable, and that’s part of their power. This is also on my mind with Passover seders next week. My extended family has been feverishly emailing to confirm times, dates, potluck assignments. (Every year, I make cookies and matzoh ball soup.) I’m so comforted to know that this annual gathering is on the calendar and I have a place at the table. What rituals have meaning for you?

1992 photo in San Diego by Charlie Starr

Discussion

14 comments for “Play Ball 2017”

  1. Petra says:

    Wendy, I light a candle every morning when I write my morning pages. I feel that it adds a certain element of SOMETHING to the writing environment. Granted, I’ve only been writing them for a couple of months, but the candle has been part of it since I started this.

    • wendy says:

      With what do you light the candle, and is that an important aspect of the ritual?

      • Petra says:

        I use an ordinary match from a large box of matches (Diamond brand). I love the snap and the sizzle. Maybe that’s the important part, as opposed to the flame.

        • wendy says:

          On my career coaching site, I mentioned Twyla Tharp, who has a great chapter about rituals. Every morning she walks out of her apartment, hails a cab and goes to the gym. And she talks about hailing the cab as being a huge part of the ritual. I thought of that when I read your comment. And that’s why I wondered about the match. http://bit.ly/2ndpm1M

  2. Dee says:

    This photo speaks volumes about thinking outside of the box! Maybe they couldn’t afford tickets or the game was sold out, but they found a way to be a part of the atmosphere anyway. This beautifully represents the kind of open-minded thinking and perception changes I’ve been working on for my own life. It works wonders!

  3. Robin says:

    I just have to say, I find this photo so endearing somehow. They seem so humble and resourceful in finding their own way to participate in this ‘great American ritual.’

  4. Leyla says:

    My favorite rituals are taking my evening bath. Having a good soak clears the mind and rejuvenates the body.

  5. Gigi says:

    For me Spring means the ritual of Orthodox Easter. Lots of great Greek foods, red eggs, lamb, and loads of family.
    Happy Passover to you and your family Wendy!

    • wendy says:

      Right now, I’m still in the “I have so much cooking to get done” phase. What’s the symbolism behind the red eggs?

      • Gigi says:

        Per Wikipedia,
        In the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, Easter eggs are dyed red to represent the blood of Christ, with further symbolism being found in the hard shell of the egg symbolizing the sealed Tomb of Christ — the cracking of which symbolized his resurrection from the dead.

        I knew the sympbolism behind the red however I did not know the rest. So I learned something knew. It was something I didn’t know that I didn’t know:)

Leave a Reply