Friday 7 March 2014

Gut Shabbos!

Tonight, dear reader, I am trying something a little new.

Recently, one of my professors, who is Jewish, mentioned Shabbos (jewish sabbath) in a conversation we were having. Jewish religious practices have always been somewhat interesting to me, so I inquired further. He told me that one of the major tenets is that one is not permitted to destroy or create anything during the hours of shabbos, which may include not turning on the lights, cooking, or even tearing one's own toilet paper...

He is a reform jew, so he doesn't ascribe to the more ascetic practices, but one thing he mentioned really caught my interest; the major point of shabbos (as with many sabbaths throughout the world, I believe) is to take time to relax, be introspective, do what you enjoy, spend time with loved ones, and do as little work as possible without feeling guilt. Although this notion seems quite obvious, I was very impacted, nonetheless.

As I've recently returned to school, my time for any of the aforementioned activities has become minimal, and - as anyone who is or has been a student can validate - erudition becomes extremely tiring and time consuming! 

So...

I've decided to establish my own sort of shabbos, the first of which is tonight! Nothing religious, by any means, but I definitely think I'm in need of a night to luxuriate and indulge without feeling guilty about ignoring my comparative literature that is due next week.

Instead, I leisurely meandered about Chapters, came home to eat pizza, am currently sitting on my posterior doing absolutely nothing (aside from this), and plan to spend the rest of the night reading! *Sigh* I may not be entirely successful in implementing this newfangled idea every week, but here's to trying!

If you are feeling disproportionately fatigued, dear reader, perhaps you're due to allocate a little time for yourself. If so, I wish you the best!

Until next time!