a bountiful crop

Today I mentioned the idea of a "day of rest" to a coworker, and she said she and her husband had just discussed the same thing at the end of yet another crazily busy, over-packed Sunday. She's got a toddler and a 3 month old, so our particular circumstances are very different, but the result is the same: we never really stop - even for a while - and we need to. I intend to make it happen for me.

To be successful (a funny way to describe leisure, but accurate, really) I'll have to plan ahead...

• What will I do (and not do) with my leisure time?
• What do I hope to get out of it? 
• What chores and activities will I need to do in advance so that I can really take a day "off"? 

I googled “how to rest” and got 187,000,000 results (in 0.27 seconds). One of the sites I found was The Sabbath Manifesto. From the website:

Way back when, God said, “On the seventh day thou shalt rest.”  The meaning behind it was simple: Take a break. Call a timeout. Find some balance. Recharge.

Somewhere along the line, however, this mantra for living faded from modern consciousness. The idea of unplugging every seventh day now feels tragically close to impossible. Who has time to take time off? We need eight days a week to get tasks accomplished, not six.

The Sabbath Manifesto was developed...by a small group of artists, writers, filmmakers and media professionals who, while not particularly religious, felt a collective need to fight back against our increasingly fast-paced way of living. The idea is to take time off, deadlines and paperwork be damned.

In the Manifesto, we’ve adapted our ancestors’ rituals by carving out one day per week to unwind, unplug, relax, reflect, get outdoors, get with loved ones and, if we’re lucky, get some booty, too. The ten principles are to be observed one day per week, from sunset to sunset. We invite you to practice, challenge and/or help shape what we’re creating.

The Ten Principles

 1. Avoid Technology
 2. Connect With Loved Ones
 3. Nurture Your Health
 4. Get Outside
 5. Avoid Commerce
 6. Light Candles
 7. Drink Wine
 8. Eat Bread
 9. Find Silence

10. Give Back

I won't follow this blueprint exactly, but it's a good place to start...

mouse over images for source

"Take a rest, a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop." – Ovid

http://confessionsofasineater.blogspot.com/