Sundays. Often called the day of rest. I never understood that, because up until now, I have always found Sundays just as busy as any other day of the week. Sundays were always hectic trying to get the kids ready for church, or all the work of cooking the Sunday feast. Before I had children, I would work every Sunday. I worked as a retail clerk, or a waitress/bartender, so that’s what you do you are in the customer service industry. Sundays were always busy.
Now, that my children are adults and have lives of their own, Sundays have become a day for me to regroup, or refuel. It has become one of my most favorite of days. I get to stay in my pajamas and sip coffee all day if I want. I love my Sundays. I look forward to them every week. It is my one and only day that I have chosen to freely say “NO” to any plans, without any guilt or excuses. People know it is my day. A day that I don’t have to share, if I choose not to. It is my special “holiday” every week.
I have found that with age, I am learning to slow down. I am still busy with a lot during the week, but I make sure I take one day, and spend it doing exactly what I want to do. And if that means nothing…I do nothing.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be a Sunday. I picked that day because, I am not scheduled to work anywhere. It can be any day. But, we all need that one day. The one day where you can spend all day, or at least two hours doing nothing. Six days per week we find ourselves busy with our jobs and kids, and all their extra after-school activities. If you have kids that are involved in sports, or any extra-curricular activity, you know exactly what I mean. The travel time. The practices. And then the tournaments on the weekends or meets during the weeknights.
Then we squeeze in time for friends somewhere in there. You meet for coffee, drinks, or get together for a workout, etc. But we don’t seem to set aside enough time to just be by ourselves. It’s seems so hard to do. The constant noise. The constant distraction. The never-ending schedule. It clouds our minds. It causes anxiety and stress. It camouflages our wants and needs for what we really want in life.
I am now beginning, in the Autumn of my life, to find silence comforting. Soothing. I appreciate my mornings waking up alone. The stillness as I sip my coffee. There is no low murmur of the TV. There is no unwanted conversation. Just me and my thoughts. It is something I will seriously think long and hard about giving up, because it is WONDERFUL!
Even if it’s only for a couple hours, for just one day. Find the time to just do it. It is a way to escape! Go for a drive and just sit somewhere away from everybody. It is exhilarating. Find time to meditate. To visualize your dreams. To plan your upcoming week. Listen to soothing music. Read some poetry. Pray. Cover up with that cozy blanket and just relax on the porch swing, or sofa. Let your body go limp and your mind freely allow thoughts to come and go. Take a nap. I love my naps. They are a like gold. I will never take the power of a good sleep for granted ever again.
We don’t have to fill our daily planners to the point, where we are literally exhausted when we lay our head down at night. There were some nights in my life where I was even too tired to sleep. If that makes sense.
In some countries they schedule time out of their workday, just for a rest period. A scheduled rest to break up your day. Genius.
Being constantly driven and passionate about something can easily exhaust a person. You start the ball in motion, and then kinetic energy kicks in and keeps your desires burning, to fuel your fire to keep you going. You can’t stop. You have an inner need get everything done. You have to accomplish your “to-dos” for the day. Or perhaps you feel driven to be that “super parent” that devotes all their free-time to their kids. Planning their days full of activity and fun. Or you feel that you have to be that devoted lover, that gives all of your available time to another, in order for them to feel supported and loved.
We volunteer for over-time at work. We don’t want to be viewed as lazy, if we aren’t pitching in, and doing our part. We compare our schedules with others and judge those that seemingly take time for themselves to do nothing. We feel the need to fill up our every waking moment with something, or we feel we are inadequately taking advantage of our precious time that we are given.
And yes. We are not promised tomorrow. We know the importance of our time here on this earth. But even Jesus himself, took time to go off to be alone. He knew the importance of quiet time. It is not selfish. It is, and should, be a must for everyone.
Now, I am not talking about time for hobbies. Time for decluttering. Time for working out, or things like that. I’m talking about actual scheduled time to do nothing. How many of you remember how to do that? Nothing.
Our kids are growing up thinking that being “bored” is a bad thing. They have downtime, and we fill it up with another dance class, piano lesson, open gym, play dates, etc. God forbid they have nothing to do.
Let’s start a new trend. Let’s allot everyone in our home, two hours of absolutely nothing one day per week. No TV, computer, video games, etc.
Let’s let them have their special day. Let’s circle the days on the calendar each week. Let’s allow them to look forward to it. Let’s respect it. Let’s acknowledge it. It is the most wonderful unselfish act that you can do for someone you love.
To give someone the gift of time to do absolutely nothing. No deadlines. No responses needed. Just some self-love. Time to let go and allow themselves to imagine, or daydream. to write in a journal. Read a book. Sit in a bubble-bath. Lay in a hammock and listen to the sounds of summer. Or my personal favorite…take a damn nap!
The Musings Of An Angry Woman 