I was contacted by Ode to Sunday, which is an awesome company whose dream is to encourage people to slow down on Sundays. They are based out of Lithuania and have a great clothing line of comfy clothes made with sustainable fabric and local resources. They also have stories on their website of women who take the time to slow down on Sundays and I was asked to share #MyOdeToSunday. It’s featured on their website, but I wanted to also share the post here. Below are the questions they asked me, along with my response on how my husband & I create time to unwind & take a step back from the busyness of life.
How does your Sunday differ from other days of the week?
Sundays in our home differ from other days because my husband and I try not to feed into the busyness of our consumerist culture, meaning we don’t go grocery shopping or run errands. We do, however, treat ourselves with coffee or a donut after church and make a much-needed trip to a farmers market in the summer months! On Sundays, we tend to do more cooking together and spend less time on our phones. We try not to do anything that feels like “work” but instead, enjoy the fruit of our hard work we accomplished earlier in the week.
For quite some time now you’re trying to live and inspire others to live a wholehearted life. How does this lifestyle make your Sundays more fulfilling?
For me, living a wholehearted life is about focusing on the health of my body, my mind, and how I interact with others and the world. This includes the ways I work, where I shop, how I eat and take care of my body. And in relation to Sundays, those are the days my husband and I take a step back from work, running errands, doing chores and checking things off our lists, to create time for rest and leisure.
We will often take time to reflect upon our previous week and ask one another, “What are things we did this past week that made us feel alive?” Sometimes we respond with certain aspects of our jobs, sometimes we mention certain conversations we’ve had with others or the simple fact that we had a day to sleep in and have a slow morning together.
For us to ask ourselves that question on Sundays reminds us of the blessings we’ve received throughout our days and is also a reminder that it is necessary to stop, pause and reflect in order for us to thrive and be renewed before the next week begins. Living wholeheartedly makes Sundays more fulfilling because we are reminded that we need rest in order do the work we love doing.
I very much support your idea that you need to have time for yourself everyday. How do you find shades of Sunday in your daily life?
I find “shades of Sunday” in my daily life in a few rhythms I’ve created for myself. One of those rhythms is not setting an alarm for the morning, and instead, allow myself to wake up naturally. This has taught me about the physical rest my body needs and that I can actually enjoy sleeping in when I need it.
Another rhythm is to stop working at certain times throughout my workday. For example, I’ll stop whatever I’m doing to make another cup of coffee, to go for a short walk or have a quick, yet meaningful conversation with my husband. Then I start working again. Stopping in the middle of my work has taught me more about why I’m working and that work is not the meaning of life.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned about “Sundays” is simply to remember. To remember that rest is good, to remember that rest is necessary and to remember that I am worthy enough to rest.
Thank you for you’re encouragement, Ode to Sunday!
&& happy Sabbath, friends.