#6. Build in ritual.

Acton’s design is rich with simple rituals – from the morning greeting to Friday afternoon Character Callouts; and from gratitude practices to how we celebrate birthdays.

Rituals weave in meaning to otherwise empty or mundane places in our spirits and lives.

Taking this practice home has been important to our family. While there’s nothing complicated or elegant about what we do, we’ve found a deeper meaning in our time together because of these little practices.

All it takes is some mindful intention around simple life experiences. Here’s a sampling of some of our rituals:

• Light a candle at each family dinner – even if dinner is simply a bag of hamburgers that’s devoured in 15 minutes.
• Say the same short prayer at bedtime.
• Surprise the birthday person with a candle-lit muffin and singing bedside before dawn.
• Paint rocks and leave them behind as gratitude tokens when traveling.
• Create peaceful memorial services with poetry when pets die.
• Make a wish on the first star. “Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight…”

Joseph Campbell speaks to the power of ritual:

“A ritual is the enactment of a myth. And, by participating in the ritual, you are participating in the myth. And since myth is a projection of the depth wisdom of the psyche, by participating in a ritual, you are being put in accord with that wisdom, which is the wisdom that is inherent within you anyhow. Your consciousness is being reminded of the wisdom of your own life. I think ritual is terribly important.”