Why I need one day off

Outside, the rain/sleet has started. I listen to the tapping of the ice on my window because I find it soothing. And invigorating. It turns my thoughts to my place in life, and the reality of the world outside: cold, heedless of my own comfort, and yet amazingly beautiful.

This is my quiet day, the day I try to see things as they are. This is the day I try to see myself as I am.

We’re sick today. The cold front came through, and the illness we’ve been battling with for almost a month (it comes and goes and comes back again) has worsened.

I’ve looked at some open source software, done some laundry, made breakfast, all of which has no pressure behind it. This is what it was like before I had to worry about product, content, and business. A home takes a lot to run when everyone is healthy. When they aren’t, it takes up even more time.

And yet, there’s a rhythm to it that I appreciate, even if, at my best, I’ve never entirely mastered it.

There was a time when I would have tried to do more business on Sunday. In the spirit of “have to,” I would shop, write, design covers, do promotions, worry about money, worry about time, worry about my family, and when Monday came I would feel unable to continue.

I marked off Sunday. The stores are crowded here on a Sunday, anyway, I decided. Except for emergencies with my website, or work that really, truly had to be done, I promised myself I would take that one day a week off. I’d make sure we’d have enough to get through it on Saturday so that I didn’t have to go to the store. All errands were done as well. I could focus on the house, on church, on spirituality, on enjoying nature, and yeah, I could even write as long as it was play. (This, btw, changed my whole view on writing, but that’s another post.)

By taking one day back, I’ve found my week has become less stressful and more productive.

Now, I’m going to finish this blog post, clean the house some more, wash the sheets and hope that everyone is better by Monday. It’s not a day of rest in the traditional sense of doing nothing. But it’s a peaceful day, a day of resting the soul. And I’m glad of it.

Advertisement