Life's Little Rituals : Celebrations for Everyday Living Book

	Preface	xiii
	Acknowledgments	xv
1.	Everyday Stuff	1
	Coming Home	1
	Morning and Bedtime Routine	2
	Laundry Day and Chores	4
	Meals	6
	There's Nothing Like a Good Book	7
	Voting	8
	Leaving Home	9
2.	Home on the Range	10
	New Home	10
	New Furniture	12
	Party Time	14
	New Car	15
	New Roommate	16
	New Pet	17
	Loss of a Pet	18
	Moving	20
3.	Friends and Family	23
	New Friendship	23
	Dating	25
	New Lover	27
	The Surprise Approach	28
	The Planned Rendezvous	28
	Decision to Live Together	30
	Decision to Have Children	31
	Pregnancy	33
	Bringing Home Baby	34
	Decision Not to Have any More Children	36
	Decision to Not Have Children	37
	Milestone Birthdays	40
	The Past	40
	The Present	41
	The Future	41
	Regrets	41
	The Big Day	42
	Divorce--Breakup--Loss of Friendship	43
	Parent(s) Moving In	44
4.	If Everybody Jumped off a Bridge, Would You, Too? Parents and Children	47
	First Word	48
	First Step	49
	First Haircut	51
	Learning to Read	52
	First Tooth Lost	54
	First Adult Tooth	55
	First Day of School	56
	School Year Beginning/Ending	58
	Starting the School Year	59
	Ending the School Year	60
	Receiving Allowance	60
	First Sleepover	62
	Home Alone	64
	First Meal Cooked	66
	First Makeup Application	68
	First Shave	69
	First Dance	70
	First Crush/Broken Heart	72
	Becoming a Teenager	73
	Starting High School	74
	First Job	76
	Learning to Drive	77
	First Formal Dance	80
	For the Girls	80
	For the Boys	82
	The Big Night	84
	Graduating from High School	85
	The Sex Talk	86
	New Sibling	88
	Older Sibling Leaving Home	91
	First Period	93
	Moving with Kids	94
	Divorce	96
	Remarriage	98
	Empty Nest	99
5.	Nature's Wheel: Seasonal Changes	102
	The Green of Spring	103
	Spring Cleaning	104
	Swim into Summer	105
	Fall Color	106
	Winter White	107
	First Frost	108
	First Snowfall	108
	Thermostat Switch	109
	Summer Switch	110
	Winter Switch	111
	Seasonal Changes in Closets	111
	Winter to Summer	112
	Summer to Winter	113
	Seasonal Changes in House	114
	The First Day of Spring	115
	The First Day of Summer	116
	The First Day of Fall	116
	The First Day of Winter	117
6.	Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's Off to Work We Go	119
	The Ups	120
	New Job	120
	First Big Project	122
	New Boss	123
	Promotion	125
	Friday Afternoon (Start of the Weekend)	126
	Vacation	128
	Retirement	130
	The Downs	132
	Commuting/Stuck in Traffic	132
	Monday Morning	134
	Work Tensions	135
	Reprimand--Demotion	137
	Losing Your Job	138
	First Unemployment Check	140
	Job Search	141
	The Executive Washroom	143
	Starting Your Own Business	144
	Hiring	145
	Firing	147
	Closing Your Business	148
7.	Ka-Ching! Personal Finance	150
	Opening a Checking Account	151
	Opening a Savings Account	152
	Paying Bills	154
	New Credit Card	156
	New Mortgage	158
	Getting a Raise	159
	Giving to Charity	160
	Making Investments	162
	Paying Off Your Mortgage	164
	Filing Bankruptcy	165
8.	Let's Get Physical: Health and Fitness	168
	Change in Eating Habits	168
	Start of Exercise Program	171
	Fresh Appearances	173
	Before	173
	After	174
	Learning a New Sport	175
	First Competition	176
	Winning and Losing	178
	A Visit to the Doctor	178
	For Women Only	182
	Getting a Pap Smear	182
	Getting a Mammogram/Breast Self-Exam	184
	Menopause Onset	185
9.	It's How You Play the Game	189
	New Course of Study	189
	Lesson Learned	191
	Speaking in Public	193
	Dealing with Stress	195
	Dealing with Anger	196
	Searching for Inspiration	198
	Gratitude	201
	Epilogue: The Final Ritual	205