I write this column in the throes of “Maycember,” that hectic time of year when every minute of every day feels spoken for. If you’re a parent of school-age children, you’ve got concerts, plays, sporting events, award ceremonies, and graduations. Here in Belmont, we also have Town Meeting, Town Day, and countless other community events that you either want to attend or feel obligated to attend.
When every day is throwing something new at me, I find some brain-calming solace in the little daily and weekly rituals I’ve established over the years. For example, I might not know what I will be facing at work tomorrow, or remember where my kid’s Ultimate game is, but I do know we’re going to have pasta for dinner, because tomorrow is Monday and we have pasta every Monday.
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My primary morning ritual has been the same for over 15 years: I read a poem. Reading a poem a day started as a way to get back to my literature-degree roots, but I eventually discovered it was also clearing the jumbled clutter of thoughts that filled my not-quite-awake mind. Right now, amongst other anthologies, I’m working my way through the complete works of Robert Frost. I’ve read nearly everything by Belmont’s own Stephanie Burt. Billy Collins, Natalie Díaz, Andrea Gibson, and countless others have helped me wake my brain up over the years. Not every poem is great, and there are many I can’t even pretend to understand, but that’s not really the point. The point is that for two to five minutes every morning, before I reach for my phone or make my coffee, I am clearing my cognitive cobwebs.
Some of my weekly rituals are a bit more arbitrary. I didn’t even realize how often I announced that “Thursday is Earl Grey day” at work until my colleague Meghan gave me a custom-made mug with that phrase for a holiday gift swap. Now I not only drink Earl Grey tea every Thursday, but I drink it from my special mug. Why? Who knows. I like the ritual.
On Saturday mornings, before the rest of the household is up, I put on some jazz and make myself a Fancy Breakfast. When I have the time for poaching, it might be one of my many variants of Eggs Benedict, but this past Saturday was a scramble with sautéed asparagus and garlic with a bit of black forest ham and smoked gouda (Fancy Breakfast pro-tip: smoked gouda will vastly improve nearly any omelet or scramble!). It’s a treat to myself after a long week and a protein kick for what will likely be a busy weekend.
I don’t mind some chaos in my life. Occasionally I even thrive in it. Maycember is incredibly busy, but that means I’m lucky enough to have active kids and live in a bustling community. I’m happy to weather that storm of obligations, as long as I can pull into my ports of ritual once in a while.
Eric J. Perkins writes about Gen X for The Belmont Voice. When he’s not writing, he’s the Director of Transformation at Addgene, a life sciences nonprofit in Watertown.