Two weeks into our trip and we’re finally getting some good daily rituals to help keep us going. We want to take the road trip neither one of us got to take when we were in our twenties, but we’re not in our twenties.

A ritual, unlike a routine, is more of a celebration or ceremony you give yourself. Rituals are spiritual, routines are programming.

So certain things matter and we’re learning to do them for self care and wellbeing. Given our accommodations is the size of a double bed, morning yoga is a must. Krista has gotten good at yoga during the pandemic and she has a routine for it, while I do some stretching and flexing for my joints. It will matter down the road and it would suck to end up with a need to pull over for a week or two. So yoga/stretching is a morning ritual we can’t do without.

Then there’s coffee. I wake up a good hour before Krista so I make myself a strong cup of dark roast, grab my camera, and go for a walk. I started doing this whenever we stayed at my brother’s cottage. There’s peace in the morning stillness when you walk in nature. I usually find a spot to sit down, live in the quiet air, and wait to see of something comes along for a photograph.

We have other rituals we’re working as well; rituals for how we prepare for bed, how we cook and clean up, and how we get ready to drive. Small steps and soon it will be second nature.

Here’s a few random photos from the past couple days. Wishing you peace!