Creating Traditions
As I write this, I have one little boy snuggled up to my left side, fast asleep. On my right side, the other little boy, equally exhausted. I’m laying in a tent, using my thumbs to peck away this post. I can hear birds settling in for the night, and thunder in the distance. I’m exactly where I am every year on this night. The boys and I are on our annual pre-Mother’s Day camping trip. We rode horses, shot BB guns, played dodgeball, swam for far too long, and ate s’mores. It’s a tradition.
There’s something about traditions that stick with us. We nostalgically remember the past, savor the present, and eagerly anticipate the future. Sometimes we find ourselves yearning for traditions of the past. Traditions that can’t be recreated or maybe shouldn’t be recreated. We mourn the loss of them while trying to hold onto the fond memories created from them. We often fail to realize every day is an opportunity to create new traditions.
This is something I took from therapy years ago. The power of creating new traditions. My wife, Sarah, sometimes takes it to the extreme. We could go to the grocery store on a random Tuesday afternoon, just one time, and she very well may declare going grocery shopping on Tuesday afternoons a new tradition. When I started taking the boys on this camping trip three years ago, I didn’t know it would become a tradition. But then they starting making references to the trip, asking when we could go back, and planning all the things they want to do next time. And just like that, we have a tradition. It’s a special tradition to me. It adds a richness to my life because I get to create lifelong memories with them. Though Sarah isn’t part of this trip, she looks forward to it as well. The original intent of the trip was to give momma a little rest ahead of Mother’s Day. She may have been counting down the days until we left for this trip, secretly planning all the rest and fun she’ll have in our absence. Let’s just say she ushered us out the door quite hastily this afternoon…..she was ready! It’s the tradition.
There’s something powerful about knowing we are one simple decision away from creating a new tradition in our life. I find myself seeking them out and finding creative ways to start something. In the world of meaning vs. money, it proves once again that meaning always prevails.
What are some of your favorite traditions?