My Sunday Philosophy of Life

Most calendars have Sunday as the first day of the week and I like that idea. I like the thought that we can start our weekly round with the day of rest. By rest I do not mean the sleep kind of rest, but rather the early in the morning rest one feels when he or she takes time to think about loftier goals, spiritual destinations, and the good that is permanent and ever-present. This kind of Sunday rest I indulge in the first thing of every morning. The idea of starting with Sunday rest is like starting in mathematics with the principle that provides perfect answers instead of starting with countless mistakes. Even if I have to go back to the one, two, three of things, I start with what I know for sure and then work out from that.

Getting up to head straight into the workday may be virtuous, but not to me. What’s the good of work if you don’t know why you work or where your work is leading you? You might as well be an oil dredge. If you’ve seen these dredges at work you know what I mean. To me they symbolize obeisance to the institution of slavery and their end is either to be moved to do more of the same or to quit and rot on the ground. What a boring life they live!

My philosophy says, “Sit. Have your breakfast if you like, but have it sitting down, preferably in your most comfortable chair. I’m assuming you’ve given yourself time to get a good night’s sleep, so don’t sleep now! Now is the time to taste of the good things in life, and I don’t mean those you can touch, taste, smell, see or hear. I mean the ideas of what life is, what it means, where you’re headed in the long term, even the eternal. You might enjoy jotting down the ideas that come, and if those ideas seem out of reach, never mind. Remember what your dad used to say: ‘ Can’t never did anything.’”

As I see it, unless I give time to this kind of reflection I’m stuck in neutral gear. I keep moving, but in the same old rut. I never set any standards for the kind of morning rest-reflection I do. Sometimes I think of ideas way out of the box, not always practical. Other times I get ideas about how to do things better, how to make life easier while also making it more productive. If I must, I do battle with negative thoughts such as old age ailments. But I know they have only the power I give them myself. If I need to do battle with them I let the Powers That Be do it. I am only a spectator and I always know the better side will win.

Now to my faithful bloggers I say, I don’t expect your philosophy to be the same as mine. What works for you is good for you, and if you want to keep the Sunday rest at the end of the week, or even the end of the day, great! Isn’t it good to get hold of a philosophy that’s tailor made for you alone? It’s a free country and there’s only one thing better than a free country. That’s a free mind.