Rituals

Can rituals ever be good? Of course! The habit of doing my personal devotions every night has become a ritual. However it has not become a habit and I believe herein lies the difference. A ritual is something we do day in and day out yet continue to think about it and draw meaning from it. A habit is something we do day in and day out because it's comfortable. It gets to the point where it comes without thinking. Rituals can be very good things (think washing your hands before you eat, or jogging every morning). They can also become superstitious and unhealthy (how many times have I "knocked on wood" or avoided the cracks in the sidewalk?).

Yet each time I perform one of my silly little rituals I think about it. Habits (some especially annoying like typing "lol" too much) come without any forewarning. Then again maybe rituals and habits are basically the same thing and I'm reading to much into this.