Day 79 - Remember the Sabbath Day?

Hubby update: The Tokyo show was (very wisely) cancelled, so Marty will be heading to Korea soon. The irony that I will feel safer with him in Korea is not lost on me. Thank you all so much for your well-wishes and prayers, it meant so much to me!!!!!

Now - hands up: who here took a day off last week? (oooh! ooh! me me me me me!!!!) That's right folks, I took a Day Off this past week, and I totally deserve a sticker. Now when I say "Day Off", let's be very clear that it bears little resemblance to the decadent and extravagant lounging I did before my little mountain goat got here. The whole endeavor required planning and careful thought, as well as duct tape, twine, and a couple pints of frozen chili (...okay, not really on the duct tape & twine, but I thought about it).

Firstly, what is a Sabbath? Why is it so important? It's a Commandment, so it's gotta be big. So why are we so terrible at keeping it? My Jewish friends have it down to a science, with about 1,000 rules about what can and cannot happen on the Sabbath. For example, my Orthodox friends cannot use their phones or computers, no cooking, no cleaning, no public (or private, for that matter) transportation, etc. If they want a light on, they have to turn it on before sundown. Fascinating stuff, right? Well, they're totally onto something here: if we don't build hedges around our Sabbath, daily life will erode it until it's just another work day you don't spend at work. So, Mission #1 - create some hedges for my Sabbath.

Actually, I'm putting the cart before the horse here. In order to set some boundaries for my day off, I need to figure out what the purpose is. OK - here goes. First, rest, as in ceasing to toil, is really, really important. So, no computer to suck me into work stuff, no classes to teach, no cleaning the house, no chores, no projects. Second, worship or reflection is essential, and so is a bit of quiet (heh heh - good luck with that one). Community is right up there, so being with people I love (or at least really really like) is a go. Spending time on things I truly enjoy, like sewing or sitting and staring, also get the green light.

Since I teach on Sundays (I know, very heathen of me), I took Saturday as my day off. How'd I do? Well, I only turned on my computer once to look up some clothing designers to steal costume ideas from - I mean, glean inspiration from - and I didn't do ANY housework. Win. Without the computer, I read a lot, sewed some fabulousness, went to bed early, you get the picture. It was as peaceful as a day with a toddler could be, and I need more days like this for my sanity. Days with no rushing, no media, no email, no Facebook, no deadlines, no household drudgery, and no crazy. Just time to zerbert my baby, float bath toys in the toilet (not really, don't call CPS), eat raisins in the park, read a trashy vampire novel  Dickens, pray, sew some hot pants, whatever. And bonus? It gave me some real insight into the Time Sucks in my life that need some downsizing. More on that another day, it's time for more coffee and the peanut butter I'm going to eat straight from the jar so I can pretend it doesn't count. Cause it doesn't count if it's right out the jar, in case you didn't know.

Your mission? Take a danged day off already. The world will turn without you for one day. Yes it will. Stop arguing with me. What did I just say? Do you need a timeout? Yes, Dear Reader, I think you do.....