I love working on Sundays. You see, I grew up in a religion that revered Sunday as a day of worship and community. A day to rest from the labors of the week. A day to commune with God, to reflect and renew your relationship with the divine. A Sabbath.
My first job – one that I kept for many years – was working in a bakery. Started out cleaning on weeknights, then moved to all the other great stuff that bakers do. Donuts, breads, pastries, cookies, cakes, pies. Up at 3 or 4 or 5 in the morning to have everything out when the store opened.
Thanksgiving and Christmas were the busiest times – early mornings and long days. So many pies and rolls! I loved working the Thanksgiving morning and the Christmas Eve shift. For me, it was filled with mystery and magic, preparing the essentials of the holiday feasts when no one else wanted to work.
It was an offering to the customers, my boss, my coworkers for me to be there, joyfully producing mountains of baked goods. It was a holy day.
I think that’s why I love working on Sundays. To me, that is what my work is about. I offer a sanctuary of rest, relaxation, communion. A place to contemplate the difficulties in life, to transform them into joy. It is a place of discovery, insight, and change on the level of mind, body and spirit.
I like the thought that I can do that on a holy day, when no one wants to work, and could use a bit of rest.
Happy Sabbath.
