Ritual

Rituals can have a calming influence on many of us. I don't mean the kind that involves eating the raw liver of a freshly hunted deer or deciphering patterns of tea leaves. I am speaking of the little things we do that involve no overt thinking or decision making. A cup of black coffee in the morning. A bag of Cheetos on a road trip. Tea with mom on Saturday afternoons. Searching for the daily paper on my driveway (yes, we are the dinosaurs still getting hard copy news). Baking chocolate chip cookies when the larder is empty.

One ritual I held near and dear for many years was my time with the radio show Prairie Home Companion. Five o'clock on the dot most Saturdays found me perched on the corner of my couch with the radio remote in my hand. I settled in for a couple hours of musicians, storytelling and of course, the latest news from Lake Wobegon. One other component of my ritual was simultaneously watching the Funtime Polka hour on public television, sans volume. I lost myself in the visual zone of smiling folks twirling on the dance floor with the oom-pah-pahs of the Larry Olsen band and the auditory world of radio sketches and music. For two hours I put the world on pause and enjoyed my moments of escapism.

Last year, my ritual took a bit of a tumble. The long time host of Prairie Home, Garrison Keillor, passed the baton on to a new, hip young man, Chris Thile. Chris is a brilliant musician and a bundle of energy. His challenge of garnering a younger crowd for the iconic radio show is no small task. He has age on his side. Garrison was slowly losing his audience, not because of disinterest or disloyalty. Garrison's aging crowd was dying off and the show would go with it if a change wasn't made. Enter, Chris.

I have not completely abandoned my Saturday evening ritual. I am determined to give the new host a chance. He has had some great music and he kept most of the original radio acting crew for his sketches. His energy is boundless and the younger crowd seems to adore him. But, I miss Lake Wobegon. I miss looking up a new word used by Garrison in his monologue. I miss Garrison's sonorous voice and folksy style. I miss the lives of the hapless cowboys out on the range and Duane's tenuous relationship with his neurotic mom.

Last week I found myself a little lost at 5:00 on Saturday. The PHC show was a re-run of Chris's first show which had aired just a few months ago. I couldn't bring myself to listen to it again. Not because it was bad, it just wasn't my favorite. So, I grabbed my TV remote and switched to the Funtime Polka show and for the first time, I turned up the volume. I recognized my favorite dancers and the band but the tunes were refreshingly new to me. I heard the laughter and banter from the band. I heard the shuffling of tired, but energized feet on the dance floor. I hummed along to an old polka tune and I put the world on pause again.

Celebrate your rituals this week and feel free to add a new one or two. I won't judge.