Good Shabbos to All
You don’t have to be an orthodox “observant” Jew or even Jewish to experience the benefits of keeping the Sabbath (Shabbos). Shabbat is the Jewish observance of a time of prayer and family togetherness from sundown Friday night to sundown Saturday night.
I’ve read articles and studies about how people feel phantom buzzing in their pockets from their phone’s text or calls or social media notifications. People take their phones to the bathroom, to family meals, and to bed with them. When not on the phone we are in front of a television or computer monitor basically having eight or more hours a day of screen time.
It didn’t used to be this way. Yes here’s where I do the “back in the old days..” thing. You might be old enough to remember when we lived our lives perfectly fine looking for a phone booth to make a call or waiting until we got home to check our answering machine for messages. Amazing how we all survived back then isn’t it! LOL!
So here’s the great part of the practice of keeping the Sabbath. You devote one day from sundown to sundown of spending time being present in life. You make a plan to eat your meals with your loved ones and listen to them, really be there with them! Make a nice special meal too. Set the table. Keep the television set and radio off. Keep the phones off. In fact put a basket or bowl by the dining room or kitchen doorway and ask people to deposit their phones after turning them off.
You can do that for one day right?
Then count your blessings. You don’t have to pray. Just share what you’re grateful for with your loved ones or if you’re by yourself write it down or say it aloud. Gratitude is one of the keys to happiness.
Then spend your time reading a book. A physical actual book with pages you feel with your fingers as you turn the pages. You can discuss the book you read with your living mates and have some fun interesting conversations together.
After your meal you might all go out for a leisurely walk down the block enjoying the evening and spring flowers.
Make plans to eat breakfast together as a family. Again make sure the phones are in the basket and turned off. No TV no radio either.
There are a lot of ways to do this but hopefully you get the idea. Really be with yourself and your loved ones for one day out of the week. Unplug from the digital world and tune into your heart and soul, and most importantly to your loved ones!
