Why buying chocolates is the right choice

and other rituals to create comfort and familiarity

This morning in between dropping my dog off at the groomer’s and running back home for a work call, I was obsessing about a Christmas gift.

The gift is for a family friend, and every year I stumble to come up with a good idea.

My first thought was…

Get cookies from Dewey’s Bakery. They’re made in my home state of North Carolina, and they have a holiday kiosk five minutes from my house.

My second thought was…

I can’t get Dewey’s cookies. I got those last year.

My third thought was…

Yeah but, Steve (my gift dilemma person) has gotten me the same box of chocolates from Power Chocolates every year for the past two decades.

And you know what?

I ADORE those chocolates. I wait by my mailbox for them to arrive every Christmas. My family sits around the kitchen table and doles out the coveted caramels every Christmas. I profusely thank Steve for those chocolates every Christmas.

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH YOUR HOME?

Everything actually.

About a month ago, I wrote to you about using your home to get out of the doldrums. I suggested making 27 changes in your home if you’re needing to shake things up in your life.

It’s the argument against buying the Dewey’s Cookies for Steve.

But there’s another side to this argument. It’s receiving the Powers Chocolates every year.

When the world feels frenetic and uncertain - even a bit unstable - there’s comfort in the rituals of the familiar.

Rituals are what keep us grounded. Feeling safe. And centered on the beauty of the everyday.

They remind us of the importance of the simple things in life like gathering around the kitchen table and eating chocolates.

If it’s comfort and stability you’re craving right now, then let’s call in your house for support.

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To get you started, here are some ritual ideas that will provide comfort and familiarity when life is feeling frenetic or a bit uncertain:

1. Open the blinds or curtains in each room every morning
   This not only reminds you that a new day has arrived, but it also brings your energy into all of the spaces within your home. From a feng shui perspective, you’re also bringing energy into all the areas of your life.
   
   

2. Close the blinds or curtains in each room every evening
   When the sun goes down, begin tucking in your home for the night. This is a permission slip to your nervous system that it’s okay to begin slowing down.
   
   

3. Say goodbye
   When you leave your home for the day or for a few hours, say goodbye. To make this ritual even more powerful, have a symbol in your home of who provides this protection for you. For example, if you align with the angelic realm, you could have a statue of an angel by your front door. Each time you leave your home, you can touch the angel saying…keep watch while I’m away. (Conversely, say hello when you come back home!)

   
   

4. Make your bed
   The routine of making your bed is a way of taking something that’s tousled and a bit haphazard and turning it into something with structure and order. It starts your day with the calmness you crave.
   
   

5. Have what you need within reach

   Use prime real estate for the things you need most often. Prime real estate is the bottom shelves of the kitchen cabinets, the eye-level shelf in the pantry, the top drawer of the nightstand. They are the spaces that are most accessible and most convenient for you. This means the bread machine you haven’t used in a decade doesn’t crowd out the juicer you use everyday. In short, keep the focus on you and your needs.
   
   

6. Return belongings to their home

   One of the key principles of organizing is having a home for each of your belongings. When you take something out and use it, return it back to its home. This creates predictability, the antidote to chaos. When it’s time to run out the door for an appointment, you’re not stressing about where your keys are.
   
   

7. Have a cleaning schedule
   This isn’t about filling your days with a long list of to do’s. It’s about creating the routine and structure that creates the familiarity and predictability that we’ve been talking about. It could be that Friday is scrubbing toilets day. Or, Monday is wash day. You get to pick the schedule. AND, you get to offer yourself grace when the schedule changes.
   
   

8. Add a bouquet of flowers to your shopping list
   Ask Miley Cyrus. Nothing says self love better than buying yourself flowers. Make it a ritual. Buy a bouquet of fresh flowers at your local market each week and let them remind you of your beauty, your home’s beauty, and the beauty within the world.
   

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NOW OVER TO YOU

What are some rituals that you have that infuse your life with peace?

I’d love to hear. Let me know in the comments.

xoxo
Dorena
Space Doula®

P.S. Need a gift for your witchy friend? My DIY course, House Divination Tool is perfect for the feng shui curious.