Savoring, when you have “a case of the Mondays”

Mondays are usually not our happiest day of the week.  Try us on Thursday, when we’re usually off on a morning adventure or play-date, or on Fridays when we are making pizza dough and filled with silly glee over the weekend and  having Daddy home.  But Monday?  We are tired, grumpy, slow to work, slow to get back into our rhythm, and overwhelmed with tasks.  And by “we,” I mean “I.”

Mondays are all bill paying, grocery shopping, weekly bread-making, menu planning, laundry, library runs, bank deposits, and cleaning.  I don’t know why we try to tackle so much on the first day of the week, I try to spread tasks over the course of the week, but usually Mondays are our one for-sure free day to get the house back in order after a fun weekend and a restful Sunday.  I sort of dread it, but I’d rather bite the bullet and get it done early in the week so we are freed up.

Usually, Mondays find me sort of stressed, grumpy, irritable, and weary.  There’s a lot to do, and the children are moving at their usual pace: slow.  Children instinctively know how to savor things.  That’s why I find myself saying a hundred times on a Monday “Hurry!”

But not today.  For some reason, not today.  Focusing on the theme of savoring and rest and delighting via this writing challenge really has helped today.  It’s been an unusual Monday.  One where we started off snuggled in front of the fire on a chilly fall morning, and I forced myself to sit there with the kids until I had finished my WHOLE cup of coffee (without reheating it once.. no small miracle.)  One where the first errand we ran was to a local gymnasium where the kids can free-play for an hour on trampolines, foam pits, and balance beams.  We went a little slower, we spoke a little softer, we allowed for a bit more enjoyment.  Remarkably, I was still able to accomplish my usual set of errands, the necessities for the day.  There is still much to do, but there was a lot less yelling and a lot more deep-breath-taking.

There is the sabbath-word, the word that I have been reflecting on so often lately on our rest days.

But today, it is my Monday word.  Right where I need it: the busiest day of the week.  When I am caught up in the hurry and the mundane is nearly suffocating, this is when I need such a word.

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” {Matt. 11:28-30 msg}

I’m slowly, slowly learning what it means to live in the unforced rhythms of grace.  A kind of life that can be full, busy with work, and yet feels free and light.  Where I can choose trust over stress.  Where “hurry” doesn’t have to be a regular part of our vocabulary.  Where we plan for the tasks and account for the interruptions.

Savoring the light burden and the easy yoke of Jesus is a daily grace we so often forfeit!  May you find joy enough to savor this Monday, even when you have a “case of the Mondays.”