Is watching Mad Men every Sunday night a modern Ritual?

I spent the week-end at the Westin Kierland Hotel in Scottsdale, AZ and each evening as the sun begins to head down behind the mountains, clothing the golf course in shadow, a man with long hair and a kilt would stroll up to the edge of the grass and belt out a half hour of bag pipe music.

Yes, it was wonderful to hear the music as the end of day was celebrated by such unique melodies. Yes, it was a great show accompanied by a bonfire and some single malt. Yes, it brought hotel guests together, typically perfect strangers who mostly enjoy their anonymity in the huge box of identical rooms.

All of these elements added to the sunset event but it was clear to me that this practice was not simply a hotel gimmick to bring more people to the bar each night for happy hour. It was a ritual.

My definition of a ritual is an event, practice, and or coordinated behavior that is engaged mindfully and with intention that contributes to the creation of a context for our existence. That gentleman comes every evening ten minutes before sunset and plays for half an hour and then leaves. It is not his job, it is a committed behavior that creates meaning in his life. The ritual not only promotes order for the piper, it becomes something so perfect, significant, and memorable that strangers come to depend upon it.

Most of us do things all the time, often at similar times each day or week. We go shopping, watch television, check emails and make dinner. Yet, how often do we engage these practices with intention and mindfulness?

I used to pray each morning and it became a beautiful ritual that provided a sense of meaning simply due to the fact that it was a consistent practice with focused intention. I used to hike the same trail each morning and it too, established a consistent, meaningful ritual for me where I’d spend the first half of the walk thinking about the past and the second half envisioning the future. It was a ritual I loved that made a real difference in my life.

I consider my life today and there are many consistent acts, but sadly few rituals that add meaning and create a context of mindfulness for my existence. How about you? Do you pray? Meditate? Practice yoga or go running? I’d love to hear about your rituals!

It’s ten degrees today in Chicago with snow touching down in whisks of fifty mile per hour winds. Sounds fun, right?

It might have made for a really good stay home and watch movies day if it weren’t for the fact that I’m sitting by the pool at a beautiful spa in Scottsdale. It set a record (80) here today for this time in December and I wanted to be a part of it.

I came to Arizona this week-end for a family gathering and last night as we were all saying our good-byes, I decided it wouldn’t be so bad if we had to spend another night in this beautiful spot. In fact, I started making plans for how I’d spend the day and how I’d cover my obligations in the office Monday morning. When people spoke about being home Sunday night, I thought to myself, “or Monday night….”

Sure enough, we woke up this morning to email alerts from American Airlines that they had canceled our flight. What is more, they rebooked us so that we leave early Monday morning and get us home before lunchtime! Perfect!

So, after a busy week-end jam packed with family obligations and lots of indoor time, I created a wonderful day of real vacation space where I could recharge and enjoy this beautiful moment in my life.

Some people snicker at the sound of the “law of attraction.” Yet, before The Secret suggested it was a marketable concept with commercial implications, it was simply an idea that people either lived by or ignored. The notion that we can create our reality by focusing our thoughts, feelings and intentions on something is as old as humanity itself.

What hunter set out into the tundra thousands of years ago without envisioning the perfect kill? What mason placed a corner stone without first seeing and admiring the finished temple in his mind?

One need not be a New Age subscriber to identify with common sense. If we go to sleep worrying about rain ruining our picnic the next day, it is very likely that the grill will have an inch of water before we awaken. Try seeing the sun shine, the food tasty and your guests laughing and having a wonderful time.

The choice is yours, is it not? I guess it is all in how you look at it.

The view looks great to me from the pool.