Monday, January 9, 2012

What To Do, What To Do?

What would you do with a free day? It’s an exciting question and off the top, most people would have a quick answer – especially for moms of young children or people with demanding jobs. I am neither of those things, and although I have responsibilities I don’t fantasize about being carefree. I am carefree already and my time is mostly my own to do with what I wish. The biggest stress I’ve had in recent months was at Christmas and timing the turkey meal just right so everything was on the table at the same time.

I haven’t always been a lady of leisure but for the past 4 years I’ve been in a decadent season with the Lord. It’s a gift from the Lord and I haven’t done anything to do to deserve it. I live each day with intention because I’m aware it’s only a season and seasons change.

Instead of projecting a fantasy scenario about what I would do with a free day, I’ll describe an average day in my week. Thursday is my house cleaning day, and although I’ve had some of the best personal worship times in my house with a dust cloth in hand I would never choose to clean a toilet on a day I didn’t have to.

My day starts early –between 5-5:30am. I wasn’t always a morning person but I’ve come to love the morning time because I grab a cup of java and head downstairs to what my Man refers to as the ‘Christian Cave’. I spend time reading my Bible and praying until 7:30, when I wake up my Boy to get ready for school. I already feel refreshed and the day is still at the beginning.

After I drop off my Boy at school, I head over to the church to worship alone with flags for 60-90 minutes. I don’t have space in my home to do it and the weather in the winter is not conducive to be outside. Flag worship is also my workout. Worship is [often] like an open heaven. After worshipping I return home for further Bible study, based on the seed idea I received during worship. I love study, as much as I love worship. The list of my questions is always expanding; I could spend all day, every day with my Bibles and reference materials and never exhaust the list. Life is in the Word and I want to fully live. Anytime I interact with people, I have the opportunity to put the words into practice and create life wherever I go.

At least once a week, I connect with friends so my “lady of leisure” status turns into “ladies who lunch” – sushi is my food of choice. After school, while my Boy is in his extra-curricular activities, I spend at least an hour reading books, a favourite pastime since I was a child.

The fantasy part of my day would be dinner that is prepared and cleaned up, but I love dinner with my family because we make a habit of eating together (at the table, without the TV or phones). After dinner, when my Boy is in bed and my Man practices his guitar, I return to my ‘cave’ to do some writing. Then I head to bed at 10pm and I read for 30 minutes before lights out.

I can’t wait to read what the others say this week. What would you do with a free day?

1 comment:

Kerry Luddy said...

I like your phrase, "decadent season with the Lord." It is a good description of the "free time" we first-worlds can take for granted. But there are just as many days that I wrestle with embracing that freedom. and laying down my busyness to just "be."