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A Day of Rest

5/14/2016

22 Comments

 
Picture
Not very long ago, The Hubster and I had finished up some business in the town next to ours. 
 
As it turned out, this had all of the makings of A Very Good Thing, since we were also near the spot where a much-anticipated natural foods market—after more than a year of starts, stops and promises—had opened the week I was
in New York. 
 
So it was odd that despite an impressive grand opening banner, there were hardly any cars out front and no
lights on inside.
 
Being the investigative reporter that I am, it was decided that I should be the one to see what was up.
 
It didn’t take long to figure out, especially when I read the hours of operation sign next to the door. 
 
You see, it turns out that this new kid on the block is open every day of the week—except Sunday.
 
It was Sunday.
 
But what I found most interesting was my reaction.
 
I wasn’t angry or annoyed.  In fact, I was barely disappointed.   
 
Nope.  More than anything, I was happy. 
 
I think my gut went this way because those locked doors instantly made me feel that a bit of sanity has re-entered our 24/7 world, at least in a few places.   Here, right where I was standing, employees are guaranteed one day of rest from work every single week, however they define that, and however they choose to use those hours.    
 
Most of us know about a couple of mega-stores that are already closed on Sunday.
 
There’s Chick-fil-A, founded by a devout Southern Baptist more than 65 years ago, and now a major American fast-food chain, with about 1,500 locations in 39 states.  According to its web site, all of its restaurants shut their doors on the last day of the week so that employees can rest and if they choose, attend worship services.  It’s the same for Hobby Lobby, an arts and crafts chain with about 500 stores in 41 states. 
 
Sadly, both of these companies are also virulently anti-gay, making it unfortunate that they also have a policy that I
like a lot. 
 
So, folks should also know that while I endorse the idea of closing on Sunday, this doesn’t mean that everyone should be pressured into going to church (or a synagogue or mosque) that day, and/or spending hours in prayer. 
 
If that’s what you want to do, it’s perfectly fine.  But for me, this time should be what some call a stop day: gifting yourself with one day a week to literally cease your labors—to slow down, relax and rewind, and do whatever is best for you.  Say you work at a desk all week.  If this is the scenario, Sundays might be the perfect time to take a long walk.  If you love to cook but can’t whip up an ingredient laden dinner because you’re too tired on a weekday night, this is also the chance to do that.    
 
For those under 30 years old, here’s a shocker: closing on Sunday used to be the norm rather than the exception. 
 
Of course, hospitals were open, and there was always a phone operator on duty if law enforcement was needed.  But pretty much every other enterprise, including small businesses, supermarkets, gas stations and department stores, took the entire day off.  When I was a little girl, you couldn’t even buy milk. 
 
Believe it or not, this wasn’t a big deal. 
 
That’s because this cease-your-labor day had been going on in Western culture, primarily on Sundays, for--hold on to your hats--nearly 2,000 years. 
 
And guess what?  Because everyone knew that this how the end of the week rolled, people planned appropriately, and no one got their panties in a twist. 
 
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that at least one medical professional has come on board with bringing back the tradition.
In fact, former ER doc Matthew Sleeth has even written a book (24/6: A Prescription for a Healthier, Happier Life) about the benefits of taking Sunday off—and the awfulness that so often happens when one doesn’t.    
 
According to Sleeth, the United States is the most depressed country in the world, with about one in 10 of us being treated at any given time for clinical depression.  On a parallel track, Americans tend to work many more hours than any other country on the planet.  Even Japan comes in at number two.
 
What does any of this have to do with a 24-hour, time out window? 
 
“When we’re constantly going, we pour out chemicals to meet those stresses,” explains Sleeth.  “(This includes) short-term stress hormones like adrenaline, and longer-term hormones like the steroids we pour out.
 
“Those chemicals constantly being ‘on’ are bad for us, and they lead to anxiety and depression, (as well as) diabetes and being obese… the idea of having one day a week that I can count on to stop is very reassuring.”
 
Indeed, Sleeth says his entire family began taking Sundays off more than a decade ago.  At the time, his children were in high school, but when his son began medical school, he, too, kept up the practice. 
 
“It helps you to order your life,” adds Sleeth.  “It actually helped us as a family.  Many people I’ve talked to now say that keeping one day of rest a week has been the single best thing they’ve done for their marriage and their family.”
 
Those are some pretty strong words, and at least for me, they all make perfect sense.
 
So, why don’t we all just go back to the way things used to be, say, in 1980?
 
I’ll tell you the reasons we don’t do it.
 
It’s not because more women are working outside the home, and can’t get to their household errands until Sunday.  In fact, it’s not that it’s more convenient to consumers overall.  And it’s not that life has become so frenetic that the only day left to buy our stuff is on a Sunday.  
 
Rather, it comes down to one word.
 
Greed. 
 
In other words, businesses know that closing one day every week means less dough in their coffers—with little thought to the physical and emotional toll this policy likely takes on employees, and even shoppers, who, like the Energizer bunny, are compelled to keep going, and going, and going.  Being able to buy things 24 hours a day via the Internet isn’t doing us any good either.     
 
The madness isn’t going to end anytime soon.
 
But I can choose to check myself out of this particular game, and simply not participate.     
 
So, here’s my pledge: from this day forward, I will make Sunday my stop day.  And, instead of feeling guilty, I’ll know that it’s the right thing to do… mentally, physically and spiritually. 
 
If so inspired, please feel free to take my hand, and come along for the sweet ride.      
 
What are your memories of everything being closed on Sundays, and how do you feel about a stop day?  I look forward to your comments!
 
PS.  A classic song about Sundays—enjoy! www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IO-KwTNKzQ.
          
22 Comments
Jerry link
5/14/2016 04:11:34 pm

And let's not forget us Jews (with whom the concept of the Sabbath originated) who celebrate it on Saturday. Contrary to popular conception, the idea is NOT to spend a day getting re-energized for the week ahead, but rather to spend 6 days working to then appreciate the joy and splendor of a day devoted to what's truly precious in life. So important it deserves its own Commandment: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." Let me highly recommend a most poetic treatise, "The Sabbath" by Abraham Joshua Heschel, who gloriously celebrates that sacred "cathedral of time." Shabbat shalom!

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Hilary
5/14/2016 04:50:14 pm

It's very sad that this tradition has been lost. But yes, a day to appreciate the joy and splendor of what is REALLY important in life... how I wish we could go back... but, as individuals, we can change a corner of a corner of our world, and I am going to be doing just that. Cooking a big dinner tomorrow and really looking forward to it! For me, this is not labor, but FUN. :)

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Larry Grant
5/14/2016 04:16:59 pm

When I was growing up it was actually the law. In Ohio they were were called "blue laws". Don't know what the color had to do with it.
I admit that I don't just like having day dedicated to rest. I need a day to rest and really feel it when I don't get one.

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Hilary
5/14/2016 04:50:47 pm

Yes, I know. xo :)

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Mike Bringold
5/14/2016 07:04:08 pm

Jewish tradition is Saturday, Christian tradition is Sunday....I went to church each Sunday growing up myself. However, if you are a performer, Saturday and Sunday are prime work days, so a mid week day would be best.

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Hilary
5/14/2016 10:29:24 pm

I was thinking that when I wrote this. And, you're right: it doesn't matter what day of the week you choose--but I think it's important to choose *one* stop day... to replenish, to rest, to celebrate making it through another week. : )

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leslie spoon
5/15/2016 09:28:01 am

Hilary Like Larry I remember the Blue laws In Easton, Maryland back in 1980 when I moved there from California. They had changed them though. Drug Stores were open but you could not buy clothes. Being from LA I thought that this was strange of course. Now I think that it is a nice idea.

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Hilary
5/15/2016 11:51:43 am

It *is* nice. Checking out from buying, buying, buying, and going, going, going is also more than that. Slowing down, enjoying the gifts that life has given us on this one day, helps to calm out minds, something that everyone I know desperately needs. :)

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Loree
5/15/2016 01:09:56 pm

I grew up in those "Closed on Sunday" days. We were also used to closed on holidays. My idea of a perfect Sunday is never leaving my home, my refuge. I don't even mind piddling around the working as long as I get to spend it at home. I wish we could go back to more establishments being closed on Sunday, a forced break from the rat race would do a lot of people some good. The constant going, going and spending, spending is not healthy for the body or the soul.

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Hilary
5/15/2016 01:37:52 pm

You brought up a really, really good point about being closed on holidays. Used to be that pretty much everything was closed on the Friday after Thanksgiving, but then this Black Friday shopping thing came along.. and NOW, a few stores are even open later in the day on Thanksgiving... a time to enjoy FAMILY and FRIENDS. It is all just SO WRONG... which is why I am not participating!!!!

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Rebecca
5/15/2016 07:49:00 pm

There is a lot of wisdom in taking a stop day. Good for you!

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Hilary
5/15/2016 08:17:28 pm

Yup! So today, Sunday, I cleaned my kitchen floor and made my special chili. These are two activities I *like* to do, so it felt like a day of rest. And, I only left the house once to walk down the street to buy some eggs from my neighbor. Oh, and lots of reading in-between! : )

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George
5/16/2016 07:16:52 pm

This is a great article. Michael Moore's new movie, "Where to Invade Next" touches on this subject. It is largely about the difference between the quality of life here in the US vs. other countries such as Italy, Germany, France, etc. I believe this is a film that every high school age student and adult should see it.

Here in the US, we all seem to be living to work.

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Hilary
5/16/2016 08:05:05 pm

Exactly. And, as Moore's film points out, it doesn't have to be this way. Taking a once-a-week stop day is my own little protest. :)

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Susan Jordan
5/16/2016 09:44:37 pm

I grew up in Santa Monica, California, and I can remember most places being closed on Sundays, and what a big deal it was when merchants started (in the late 1970s or so) to be open on that day. Most of the adults felt it was convenient, but also kind of a bad thing because it took the specialness out of Sunday. A few years ago, I noticed one of my favorite restaurants, California Chicken Cafe (I love their broccoli & ranch pasta!), was closed on Sundays. I think that may have changed a little since then, bit I remember feeling that was kind of nice. Maybe because it reminded me of childhood, and how yes, you really did need to plan ahead for Sunday. It worked. If we returned to that practice, I don't think I'd mind much.

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Hilary
5/16/2016 09:59:50 pm

Well, you *know* I wouldn't mind much. I'll make this comparison: a few years ago, our county banned the use of plastic bags in grocery stores. We all had a couple of months to deal with the idea before it took effect, and people were annoyed that they actually had to *bring in* a bag! Well, guess what... it is just not a big deal any more. I know this won't happen with Sundays... but we can each take it upon ourselves to do our very own stop day. :)

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Karen Alkofer
5/17/2016 10:04:29 am

Yes, I remember blue laws, too. Our local drug store roped off certain sections and dimmed the lights, only medicine and toothpaste for sale. I think it's a good thing to rest parts of our brain/body one day a week. Perhaps we'd have a calmer society, not as much need for psych drugs.

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Hilary
5/17/2016 10:51:13 am

Yes, exactly, not just rest our bodies, but our brains, too. I love that image of those drugstore lights being dimmed, too. :)

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George Marshall link
5/18/2016 10:44:17 pm

I liked this article Hilary. It made me restful just reading it. A day to stop and rest from your labors is also more sane. Isn't it crazy to be working all the time and never have the leisure to reflect why?

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Hilary
5/19/2016 10:01:02 am

Balance in crucial in every aspect of our lives, including work. :)

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Jim Nolt
5/23/2016 06:16:51 pm

Larry, the reason for the name "blue laws" is apparently lost to history, but the term dates back hundreds of years and pertain in some way to strict religious codes. When I was a kid I was often confused by the people of our fairly conservative church. Even after a sermon about not working on the Sabbath, many in the congregation would drive directly from the church to a local restaurant... where waitresses and cooks were hard at work.

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Hilary
5/25/2016 08:13:00 pm

Yup, to a kid this would have been very confusing. As a kidlet, I think that I thought (try to say THAT fast, five times!) that yes, they were all working on Sunday, but probably got their day of rest the next day or sometime later that week. : )

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    Hilary Roberts Grant

    Journalist, editor, filmmaker, foodie--and a clown! 
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