So what do you do all day?

 

A question I've often been asked during the last several months is, "So...what are you up to these days?" Or, the more direct, "What do you do all day?" Because, as many of you know, Jordan and I have been living with my parents since we moved back from Germany in July. We are not working (unless you count the five days I substitute taught last month), and because of that we anticipate an awesomly low tax bill in April. We are not volunteering our time at a dog shelter, or cleaning my parent's house all day or contributing to society in any meaningful way.

We joke about being teenagers again, driving my parent's car, making sure we're home in time for dinner, and earning some pocket change here and there. But this season has been more intentional than that sounds. We've purposefully cleared our schedules to take a step back and rest. To reflect on our year in Germany, as well as the years leading up to that adventure. To re-set. To re-prioritize and re-focus and decide what's important to us. This five month time period has been a rare extended transition in which we've taken the opportunity to consiously stop.

 

So, what do we do all day? Well, we read and write and research. We spend time with our family. We attend conferences and have coffee dates with friends. We plan weekly business meetings, counseling sessions, and date nights with each other. We go on walks. We go to church and attend small group. And to be honest, real life follows us wherever we go. My uncle recently returned from a silent retreat that was over a month long. When he finished, he said he had to catch up on the world news. We haven't been that secluded, and spend what feels like inordinate amounts of time filling out insurance paperwork, applying for jobs and and buying plane tickets. But this is about as restorative as we can get without moving to a secluded log cabin in Montana.

Surprisingly, there hasn't been a moment when I've felt bored, or ready to jump back into "real life". (I can't say the same for Jordan, who is pretty excited to start working again.) I think I will be ready when the time comes, but I feel so grateful for this golden season of stepping back and taking a deep breath. It has been much needed and incredibly restorative to my soul.

 

 

The word I have finally started using to answer the question about what we're doing this season is Sabbatical, which means a period of rest. I believe that we are made to work, to till soil, to create beauty, to climb mountain tops, and to serve others. But we are also made to rest. To take a Sabbath, just like our Father did. I haven't been very good at that in the past. I've heard of people who truly take a weekly Sabbath, not cooking, or doing homework, or errands or anything, once a week for a whole day. I've never successfully implemented that in my life. Even during this season, I'm not sure I've consciously set aside a day where I haven't paid a single bill, nor answered any emails. But this Sabbatical season has been so restorative and even though we won't be pretend teenagers forever, I hope to consistently incorporate a day of rest into real life when we step back in, come January.

How about you? How do you consciously stop and rest?