sabbath

“Sabbath, in the first instance, is not about worship. It is about work stoppage. It is about withdrawal from the anxiety system of Pharaoh, the refusal to let one’s life be defined by production and consumption and the endless pursuit of private well-being.” Walter Brueggemann

At the recent fabulous radical compassion day, it was pointed out that observing the sabbath is one of the ten commandments, and that we sometimes attach different importance to the various commandments. I don't know about you, but I'm brilliant at not killing people. I am however, nowhere near as good at observing the sabbath. I know nothing about the guy whose quote is above, but I do like the sentiment. I struggle to stop - not even just work, but just to stop and rest awhile. It's one of the good aspects of being with my boyfriend, it's one of the lovely things about hanging out with my friends, and if only I let it, it could be one of the ace things about being a parent of two fun to be with kids. That stopping and taking time out with them, away from the chores and the busyness and the emails. They all seem to be much better than I am at sitting in front of the tele, or reading in bed, or at least not doing at least 17 things at once.
I think in many ways, I'm not a slave to the production machine, I certainly don't feel a big pull to the consumer silliness, and I'm definitely not so fussed about private well being so much as communal well being. But I do endlessly pursue, and I rarely withdraw from the anxiety inducing treadmill of do-do-doing.
In discussing the commandment, I chatted with a lovely woman - must email her ;) - about how sabbath and resting and recharging could be about a fraction of a day when we change roles, rather than say refusing to be a mum for a whole day.
So, I'm off to bed for an early night (once I've checked on how fast the pool is filling, let the dog out, and put a load of washing on. D'oh!)