Pancake Ritual

After a long, mind-melting day of work, where my head is spinning with projects and deadlines, my decompression ritual begins with something absurdly simple: making pancakes for my kids.

Standing at the stove, mixing batter, I force my brain to shift from the strategic and complex to the utterly ordinary (or as the poet David Gates better puts it, "No, they're not mundane. They're rituals of care.") As the batter sizzles and bubbles, I focus on not messing up the flip and making sure no one side stays on the pan for too long. It requires my complete focus and drowns out everything else.

It’s not about making a perfect pancake, or even a good one. It’s about the reset: the moment when I realize that in the chaos of work and life, there are small joys in imperfection. Especially when my kids wolf down those misshapen pancakes like they’re Michelin-star meals, giggling all the way.

This ritual reminds me that transitioning from work to home doesn’t have to be grand. It just needs to be intentional. It’s a small act of connection, a way to leave the work stress at the metaphorical door (since I work from home), at least until work demands come roaring back the next day.

How do you reset after work? What’s your version of a “pancake ritual” that keeps you grounded, even if it’s a little messy?