Welcome to Issue #016 of Sojourn. Each week, I share two original essays to help you slow down, reconnect, and rebuild with intention (hence ‘sojourn’), in a private community that uses travel as a path to reinvention.
THE POWER OF SMALL RITUALS
When we think of sustainability, we picture buildings, systems, and reports. But here’s the reality: The most sustainable things are the smallest ones. The rituals that last long after the trip ends.
A refill station changes how you notice water.
A farm-to-table meal changes how you shop at home.
A tea ceremony changes how you begin your day.
Sustainability lives not just in places. It lives in us.
WHAT CHANGED FOR ME
When I was an expat in Shanghai, I often took the bullet train to Hangzhou to walk the tea farms, one of my favorite rituals. One morning I joined the pickers, watching hands move leaf by leaf, then saw those same leaves being roasted, rolled, and finally brewed into the cup I held just hours later.
It wasn’t just tea. It was presence. And it stayed with me to this day.
Back home, the ritual carried forward. I made tea differently. I slowed down. That single practice reshaped more than my mornings, it reshaped my awareness.
WHY RITUALS MATTER
We underestimate rituals because they feel so small. But they’re how change actually sticks.
Rituals make sustainability visible and personal.
They become teachers, reminding us to choose slower, lighter, more intentional ways even when the world pushes fast.
They’re the real souvenirs we bring home.
HOW THIS APPLIES TO US
When you travel, look for the rituals worth carrying back:
• A tea practice that reframes your mornings.
• A seasonal meal that shifts how you shop.
• A refill station that makes you notice consumption.
These are small, but they outlast most memories. They’re what root sustainability in daily life.
PROMPTS
This week, reflect on:
• What ritual have you carried home from a trip?
• Which practice could you protect in your own days?
• How might you let a ritual reshape, not just a moment, but your rhythm?
THE SHIFT
Sustainability isn’t just about what hotels build and architects design. It’s about what we rebuild in ourselves.
And rituals are where that rebuilding begins.
~Ana