Sabbath or something like it

Hello! It's been a while, sorry. Because of that, I want to put things a bit into context before you continue. A bit of my program here at seminary focuses on ecology. Last semester, we were supposed to focus on sabbath as a practice. This was my experience of sabbath today:


Today felt like sabbath, which is weird because it is Monday. 
But apparently Sabbath can happen anytime.

I spent most of Sunday battling a hangover as well as a significant amount of negative self talk thus little energy to do the same today. So I didn’t. I chose care which manifested itself in getting brakes for my car and weeding for two hours.

I know maintaining one’s car isn't a usual practice of self-care. But today it was. It was a rejection of the pattern of procrastination in my life. At the root of my procrastination is a defense mechanism of my faulty self-worth (read this blog). I had been procrastinating getting new brakes for two months, which in retrospect could have been disastrous for myself and for others. New brakes means new life! As I was waiting, an older gentleman asked me if I was studying or just reading for fun and I said that I was studying, he replied, “ah, yes, I’ve seen that look of studying before in my children.” We chatted for a little bit about his kids and then he encouraged me to not worry about student loans, that everything would be okay. It is humbling how a random stranger could offer so much hope, even when you weren’t even aware you needed it.

After I got home from Les Schwab, the sun was still out so I decided it would be a good time to work on weeding. I don’t have much experience in growing things but I am good at weeding. The gardner housemate has been gone since January so it was a mess out there (and still is). It took me two hours to barely finish one half of the front garden. While it was hard work and I am sure I will be stiff tomorrow, there is something to be said about getting one’s hands dirty. I mean, obviously it has been said by loads of people but it is another thing to actually get dirt under your nails. Most of the time was spent quietly listening to the birds and avoiding grabbing slugs. Eventually the next door neighbor kids were forced outside and I spent the last hour listening to them play pretend, as though they were characters in Star Wars. They discussed whether or not Darth Mal deserved to die and then moved on to rapping about Frodo. I love them and I don’t even know their names.

I didn’t weed for the attention but two of the other housemates walked in after I had finished and hadn’t even noticed my handiwork. They walk by it every day, coming and going, how could they not?! Do they even notice what the outside looked like? This made me think about how little we see the world around us, whether that is creation or our neighbors. I have spent a lot time lately focusing inward, which usually ends up being more harmful, and I think I would like to be able to see others and creation more than I do. I want to feel it under my finger nails and be able to laugh with kids as they play, encouraging neighbors and taking care of myself even my possessions.

Maybe that's the point of Sabbath, stopping to notice, be noticed and to care about it.

How are you experiencing Sabbath?