How I Learned to Love the Word “Ritual”

For a long time, I hated the word ritual.

It felt… heavy. Maybe even a little too mystical for my practical, corporate trained brain. After all, for 25 years I lived by structured meetings, deliverables, and deadlines. Rituals belonged to another more woo woo world. I had routines. Efficient, predictable, box checked routines.

But somewhere between the late nights, the constant notifications, and that quiet voice inside that kept whispering, “Is this it?”, something started to shift.

When I launched Uncommonly Gorgeous, I thought I was creating skincare. Simple, clean, USDA Certified Organic skincare that worked. But what I didn’t expect was how much these products would teach me.

Making them slowed me down. Measuring each ingredient, infusing each botanical and watching them meld together to become something beautiful; it felt like an act of reverence. And when I started using them the same way I made them, with care, with presence, I realized that this was what ritual really meant.

Routines are mechanical. You do them because you have to. They check a box. Rituals, though, they mean something. They turn the ordinary into the sacred. They remind you that even small, everyday moments can hold beauty, if you choose to be present for them.

Now, that word that once made me cringe has become the heartbeat of what Uncommonly Gorgeous is evolving into: a lifestyle of ritual.

Skincare that’s a daily ritual.
Latte mixes that are a morning healing ritual.
Steeped teas that are a nighttime ritual.
Candles that are therapeutic evening rituals.

These are all part of my life, my self-care and I couldn’t skip a day without one of them.

Our lives don’t need more noise. Our lives need moments that mean something. Our lives need five minute moments of sanity, sanity from barking dogs, demanding children, or endless work demands.

We’ve strayed too far from simple acts of self-care, and it’s time to reclaim them. So here’s to lighting the candle, sipping the latte, massaging in the elixir, and letting each one become a tiny ceremony of presence.

Rituals aren’t an escape from life, they’re how I find my way back to being present.

With love and intention,

Jenaya