Sabbath Comeback

Although I’m not that old I can still remember when stores were closed on Sunday. At the time I never thought about the religious significance but simply accepted that that was the way things were.

I’m reading a book called “The Year of Living Biblically” by A.J Jacobs. It is a story about a Jewish man living in New York who decided to attempt to obey the Bible as literally as possible for one full year. Regardless of your beliefs, it is a funny and profound book.

In one chapter he addressed the concept of Sabbath, which basically revolves around not working on the seventh day of the week. By work, I mean you are not meant to do anything: no checking email, no shopping, and no working around the house. It is a day of rest and rejuvenation. Actually, there is much more detail than that but I’m sure you get the idea.

The author says, “In the post-BlackBerry age, is there really a boundary between the weekday and the weekend?” and I completely agree with him. My husband and I are often more tired on Sunday evening than we are during the week. We pack so much into our days off that we don’t find much time to truly relax.

I don’t know how it happened but as a society we have been tricked into thinking that having the ability to shopped seven days week or being a part of Facebook has brought more convenience to our lives. I’m starting to really realize that this is not the case.

Reading about how the author tried to change his habits on Sunday reminded me of what it was like when I was younger – it was nice. So this Sunday try and see if you can kick it old school. Don’t check your email, turn off your cell phone, hide your car keys, put down the paint brush, avoid the laundry and experience the relief and freedom of not having something to do. No matter how much you want to, you can’t. You have no choice. After doing this, you too will wonder why we ever let this notion fade.