the-inn-keeper

House Hold Rituals

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 16:27:26 +0100

Making beds has been a ritual in my life for the past 16 years. As owner of a bed and breakfast, it is not only part of my job description; it is part of who I am and what I do every day.

There is a certain way of doing things in daily life that can be burdensome if done with the wrong attitude. Obviously, making beds can be one of those chores. My friends often ask how I can do this day after day. I have discovered, that for me, this is far from burdensome. I take the task to heart.
Making a bed has become a very sacred ritual with me. In knowing that my guest will sleep on the most comfortable mattress, in the cleanest, whitest, softest sheets, Ironed to perfection, I am accomplishing in a small yet significant way what I consider my main goal in life-leaving every day a bit better than I found it.

A number of my guests are here to interview with Otterbein University for a faculty position. In these tough economic times, many are new graduates from doctorate programs, carrying heavy loads of student loan debt. The job market is bleak, they tell me and the opportunity is extremely important to them. Knowing the stress of traveling, adjusting to new surroundings and trying to get a good night sleep before being grilled by a bevy of college professors, I try to make sure that they have comfort in their sleep here. I take my bed making very seriously- a ritual of sorts that completes my day.
In her book, The Joy of Ritual, Barbara Biziuo explains that we perform rituals in our everyday life without ever acknowledging the comfort they bring to us. She suggests that by becoming mentally aware of these rituals, we can enhance our lives and satisfy our “hunger for community and communion” in our lives. Rituals reach a deeper sense of ourselves:”expanding our consciousness and connecting us to the great mystery of life.”

My bed making begins with a clean slate. I have stripped the bed from the day before and changed the mattress pad and blankets as needs. Freshly laundered sheets, rinsed twice in lavender water then hung to dry outside on the line (weather permitting,) have been lovingly ironed to a smooth finish that makes them lay against the skin like silk. Then two fresh blankets- one thin blanket sheet and one heavier waffle weave for warmth, are carefully laid out and tucked in with mitered corners on the side taught to me by my mother who learned proper bed making in nursing school.

With sheets and blankets pulled tightly and tucked, I spread out the silk or velvet comforter on top. In warmer weather, I trade these out for cotton matelasse bedspreads and shams. Fluffing pillows and arranging them, I finish with a newly folded down comforter at the foot of the bed- just inviting my new guest to kick their shoes off, crawl on top and snuggle in for a nap. (And many do!)

In the act of making this bed, I often find I have fallen into a sort of trance or meditation- going through the motions that are now so repetitive that I am hardly aware of moving. I often rouse myself to find that the bed has miraculously made itself at my hands. My mind has drifted off to a what I can only describe as a calming place of worship. No thoughts or worry or agenda- just a feeling of deep calm and peacefulness. This is the point of ritual I have come to believe.

I make this bed in honor of the next soul coming to stay and find rest. It pleases me on a level so deep that I was not even aware of it until I read Barbara Biziou’s book.

According to her, five elements are essential to set apart a ritual:
Intention- the act must have a purpose, such as my bed making for the next guests.
Sequence-the act must have a beginning and end to signify the time that has been set aside to perform it. Mine happens to be each day after breakfast when the previous night’s guest has checked out and left. It starts with the stripped bed and ends with the bed made.
Sacred space- in order to affect consciousness, rituals must have a space that puts the ritual outside of daily routine. In my world, the guest rooms are my sacred space. This is outside the realm of my not so sacred living room!
Ingredients-symbolic elements that denote a special event or activity: my guests get the finest linens treated in the best way I know how. The beds are the best mattresses I can buy and the rooms are lovely clean and peaceful. My poor husband wishes he slept so well!
Personal Meaning- the ritual must signify something to your heart that reaches you. For me, this is the very heart of why I run a bed and breakfast.

I challenge you today to take time to discover your own ritual- or rituals in your everyday life. Start with the routine chores you do every day, and rethink your attitude about them. We do repetitive things in our lives because they provide something for us- stability, reassurance, comfort. Find what makes you feel peaceful and calm and claim your ritual with joy!

College Inn Owner Becky Rohrer featured in book for Aspiring Women Entrepreneurs

Sun, 22 May 2011 18:52:46 +0100

Westerville, OH – Rohrer of the College Inn is profiled in the new book, Birthing the Elephant: The Woman’s Go-For-It! Guide to Overcoming the Big Challenges of Launching a Business (Ten Speed Press) by Karin Abarbanel and Bruce Freeman.

Part portable success coach, part step-by-step guide through the life cycle of a small-business start-up, Birthing the Elephant is the “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”

for aspiring women entrepreneurs. It offers them a practical road map to the rocky emotional terrain they’ll face during the make-or-break first 22 months of their venture.

Rohrer was chosen for her inspiring entrepreneurial leap. According to the authors, “Becky’s success story is a great example of what it takes to be an entrepreneur: passion, persistence, ingenuity, and optimism. Beyond this, Becky survived a tough personal crisis as a single mom, overcame her fears, and courageously reinvented herself.”

Birthing the Elephant offers frontline start-up advice and lively anecdotes from Rohrer and other innovative entrepreneurs, including Bobbi Brown, founder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, and Liz Lange, founder and president of Liz Lange Maternity. Says Becky:

“Everyone needs a success coach to cheer them on and whisper encouraging advice in their ear when the going gets tough. Karin and Bruce helped me realize my dream.”

For more information on the book, visit: www.birthingtheelephant.com.

Located on the Otterbein College Campus in Westerville, Ohio, The College Inn Bed & Breakfast, an elegantly restored Victorian home, offers a sophisticated and functional alternative to a hotel. The College Inn provides guests with an abundance of space to explore and enjoy.

My lovely guest this week, Paula Gray has inspired me!

Sun, 22 May 2011 18:48:22 +0100

My lovely guest this week, Paula Gray has inspired me!

Paula is here in town with an educational program that King Arthur Flour Company provides to public schools. She has been teaching the disappearing art of bread making to kids in grade schools in Westerville and Worthington. The kids watch and help Paula make the bread dough and then receive ingredients to go home and make a batch with their family. Then each child will return to school with one loaf of bread that will then be donated to a local food pantry! Wonderful program in so many ways!

So each morning at the crack of dawn- actually it’s about 7AM but just feels so much earlier with the time change-we meet in the kitchen for coffee as I watch her ready her dough for the demonstration. During today’s chatty banter, we discussed her idea of opening her own bed and breakfast in Vermont. Her idea is to cater to the cycling crowd- being a much travelled cyclist herself! She brought up the fact that my inn sits two minutes from the wonderful bike trail here in Westerville that will become part of the Ohio to Erie trail spanning the state from the Ohio River to Lake Erie. Now why had I not considered bike riders on my list of potential guests????

Wow! The ideas have been flowing ever since! With her suggestions, I can come up with a wide assortment of amenities that would provide cyclists with the comforts they need after hours of heavy pedaling! Not being a long distance bike rider myself (except in my mind where I travel all over Europe with a backpack and my two wheeler), I definitely need to ask for help on this one. Here is the beginners list of things I think would make me the perfect spot to stop and rest on a bike tour. Of course this is in addition to the already wonderful things the inn provides all of its guests! See if you can think of any others?

Laundry use- including suds, plus a clothesline in the backyard

Hot Coffee and plenty of it-coffee makers available for every room!

Fabulous and Early breakfasts- loaded with healthy carbs! And homemade energy bars to take along

Hot spotlessly clean showers and comfortable guestrooms

Bike shop one block away

Two blocks to restaurants, wine shop, coffee cafes and pharmacy

Small quiet university town beautiful and safe-voted in 100 Best Places to Live

Secured bike parking with covering

Walking distance to several parks, library and post office.

As a lifelong resident in the ‘ville, I can offer a long list of things to do and see or places to go if you need a particular item. I now must familiarize myself with the needs of the long distance cycler! For those of you reading who have some knowledge of this fantastic sport- please by all means let me know!

All this prompted me to go out and uncover the fabulous bike I have out back just begging to be ridden! Hmmm, perhaps I can try that out tomorrow?