Experience#50

Theme: spiritual-Sabbath

Simon had been joking that for my last experience I do absolutely nothing! Having done a lot this year, and holding to my normal busy schedule; this sounded kinda nice. Grant added complexity by suggesting I follow the Sabbath Orthodox rules during this day.

For the Orthodox Jew, the Sabbath is a day of rest and prayer. No work is to be performed. The term work relates to very ancient life giving activities such as burning, plowing, carrying, grinding... There are about 40 defined tasks that one avoids on the day of rest. These have been interpreted to fit our more modern lives. So an individual should not: work, wash, carry anything, cook, write, use electrical appliances...

So on my day of rest I had to refrain from helping my friends prep the meals. I had left-overs from the previous day.  I didn't pick-up, or make my bed, nor did I exercise. I sat and watched the tide roll in then out. I watched the wildlife do what nature does, out our window. I chatted with my lovely husband and good friends and rested.

It was hard not to get involved with the daily tasks of our household. It did show me how much I can make myself busy with shores. This day of rest was a reminder that in our culture being still is often seen as lazy. I am guilty of this. I tell myself I'll take it easy after everything is done, but there is always something that needs attention. So having this day of rest is a practise I recommend and promise to incorporate into my schedule.