Magpies are incredibly beautiful and intelligent! Photo by Emily Gorda.

I love early winter mornings and everything about them: being gently woken up by my werewolf dog, he barely touches my hand with his nose; putting on my vintage thrifted kimono robe; smelling the fresh coffee my husband has made downstairs and smiling at the cup he’s warmed with hot water; and reading in a favorite chair by the fire with my werewolf snoring at my feet. These sweet rituals start the cold days with softness. And once the sunrise welcomes the day? I head outdoors in my pink kimono (sometimes with a parka thrown overtop!) and my husband’s big winter boots and bring food to the birds in our backyard.

Winters are harsh here in Canada. We have almost six months of winter and so everything has to adapt to the cold and snowy conditions. Many of our bird populations fly south to warmer climates, however, there are still many birds who stay. My husband and I are bird lovers and we feed them all during fall, winter and early spring. (In the late spring and summer they have loads of food to find on their own.) We see many little friends over the winter: black-capped chickadees, sparrows, Bohemian waxwings, blue jays, redpolls, nuthatches, woodpeckers, and one of my favorites: the black billed magpies.

Listen.

Some mornings are so cold the snow crunches and squeaks under your feet like you’re walking on styrofoam. And the wimpy part of me wants to wait until it warms up a bit. But through the window I see the birds in the evergreens with their feathers puffed up to insulate them against the cold. They look roly-poly but they’re not. They are just trying to stay warm. To stay alive for one more day. A chickadee has to eat its weight in food each day just to survive the night. Think about that the next time you’re eating popcorn in front of Netflix.

Black-capped chickadee. How can you resist that face?

And so on goes the parka, a toque, gloves, and big boots to get through the snow to the feeders.

When I open the door? A chorus of happy excited voices greets me. They have been waiting. The chickadees fly to the branch by my head. The sparrows are nervous but they are chattering closeby. The magpies do fly-bys and call to each other. I talk to them all as I set out black oil seeds in the feeders, and smaller seeds for the smaller birds. I throw several handfuls onto the snow under the trees as the sparrows and others are ground feeders. Chunks of bread that are easy to eat/fly with are positioned in several spots along with a few suet blocks for good fats that help them stay warm.

It’s brisk! My eyes water, my hands are cold as most of the time, I take the gloves off. But hearing the choir of voices around me is the reward and motivation. I love it!

Once I’m back in the house? There is a frenzy of activity outside that lasts for hours. And a second cup of coffee while I warm up in front of the fire tastes even better than the first.

Sweet rituals feed your soul somehow. Much differently than robotic routine. Sometimes, our sweet rituals are just for us. And sometimes, the sweet rituals are for others. Like pre-warmed cups of coffee. Loving up a werewolf by the fire. And feeding little creatures who need a helping hand.

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Now, It’s Your Turn!

What’s a sweet ritual that you love to do? Remember, it may not sound sweet to anyone else but who cares? No one has to understand why you love it.

But when you write about it? You can shine some light and understanding on something that makes you happy. And that is always a worthwhile endeavour.

Because sweet rituals always have goodness within them.

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*Did you love this? Then check out Scribbly – my quirky and gentle writing program that we snail-mail right to your home. Each issue has a theme, so all you have to do is follow the path! We make writing easy and fun for you. We’re nice like that.