DAILY CEREMONY
BY KEVIN CLAY
When I think of ceremony, I think of weddings, birthday parties, baby showers. Some major ceremonies for me are by morning rituals: my workout routines and mental ceremonies.
In the morning the first thing I do is thank God for waking me up to live another day. I brush my teeth, wash my face, and look in the mirror and be thankful for who I am. Some days I turn on my TV in the morning to watch a Christian sermon before I leave for work. When it comes to my workout routine, the first thing I do is eat a few carbs and drink about four liters of water. I usually wear my beanie, yard dogs, and shorts, depending on the weather. A beanie is a wool hat provided by the state and yard dogs are shoes that are primarily used for outside recreation, they're a little beat up. I have a workout schedule that I keep pretty tight. I usually do bench press on Monday, weighted squats on Tuesday, curls on Wednesday, and start bench pressing again on Thursday, followed by squats the next day. After each workout, I take my shirt off look in the mirror and flex as hard as I can. I grab my clothes and go to the shower to clean my body off from all the sweat. The reason the things I do post-workout are ceremonial to me is because they let me know that I have something coming — like a more chiseled body, improved physical strength, and better stamina. When I shower, I show gratitude for the body that accomplished the extreme workout. This is the beginning of the recovery from lifting weights and tearing my muscle up.
Reading self-help books is a daily ceremonial practice. I take notes on points in the book that help me grow. Strengthening the mind is great for the impact I have on myself and others around the world. I share books with people who are interested in changing their lives for the better. I reach out to my loved ones in the free world for mental stimulation I like to speak to my brother because he makes me feel like I'm still free. My daughter trips me out because I call and she plays hide and seek or even plays asleep. She's only three. I like when I call my grandma and she tells me what she has to eat. My ceremonies are my mind, body, and spirit growing and being cared for. Thanking God for another day, pushing heavy weight, and building my mind to be greater! I take all these practices and use them to impact the world at the right time creating different ceremonies! | KC