Rituals and My Late Night Panic Attack

I disliked change very, very much as I child. For instance, my older sister and I shared a room back when I was an infant. One night, my sister was not where she was suppose to be. In fact, I awoke to an empty room, bereft of any familiar presence. This was, of course, unacceptable and I preceded to start wailing and shrieking uncontrollably-no doubt I was quite convinced the world as I knew it was ending. Yet, minutes later, when my sister returned from the bathroom I must have realized, even at my young age that may siren wail was quite unnecessary and I (abruptly) stopped screaming. That night, I had recognized that normalcy had returned( in the form of my really angry sister) and that I had no need to worry anymore.

When I think about rituals I think about that night of child-like panic. Without the placement of rituals amidst our ever- changing present and unfamiliar future, I kinda think all of us would start shrieking from panic. At the very least, I know I would. Rituals (especially those involving friends and family) are so very important because they ground us to the past, reinforce the feelings that we want to remember and make the present a more familiar and warmer place.