I love Sundays.

I used to dread them. They meant the end of the fun part of the week. I would spend my whole week hanging onto the anticipation of the weekend and then it would be over way too fast and I would be back into the chaos of another week.

My change in feelings around Sundays have a lot to do with the lifestyle I choose to live now. I used to try to pack in as many fun things on the weekends as possible. Sure, it made Saturday and Sunday a blast, but it would leave me starting my week feeling disorganized and still in need of a breath. I was so focused on prioritizing fun that I would give myself no time to rest - physically or mentally. I wasn’t acknowledging what my body and mind needed. I thought I was supposed to want all the fun things and that those were what made life good.

I have found so much freedom in saying no to good things. Obviously that isn’t every thing, and obviously I still incorporate social time into my weekends, but I no longer live with the focus of the weekend on how much fun I can cram in it.

My Sundays are now deeply peaceful. They are filled with church, grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning and meal prepping. I find my Sundays to be deeply important to starting my week on a strong foot. Instead of ending the day feeling overwhelmed with stress and pressure, I end the day with a clean mind and an environment that reflects that.

Naturally, this won’t be my reality all the time. I know part of this is dependent on the current season of life that I am in, but I do think there is a mindset reality within this that I want to carry over into other seasons of life.

I don’t want to live a life where I am just clinging to my weekends.

When I first started working I had terrible work-life boundaries. It was leaving me exhausted regularly and with very little energy left. That year was still incredibly rich because of the gift my job was, but I recognize how that lack of boundaries set me up for a burnout. My next year was far more challenging and so while still deeply rewarding and meaningful, the days spent all at work seeing no daylight took a toll. I wonder now knowing how much stress inflames endometriosis if those lack of boundaries influenced the breakdown that my body underwent.

I am still just as passionate about my job this year. However, for the first year, I leave work at work. I don’t stay until there is no more daylight. Holding myself to those requirements has lead to me finding better ways to maximize my time at work and to better prioritize. It has also let me be a better teacher by coming in every day refreshed and with a full cup to pour from.

There is a reason God included the 7th day in His creation. It wasn’t for Him. Rest is important. I am still atrocious at resting well, but I have made leaps of progress in terms of making choices to invest my time in ways that better set me up for success within my weeks. I recognize that in order to be the best version of myself I need to make a decision about how I want to live.

I find more joy in my Sundays now that I am spending them in a way that refills me than I used to when I was chasing the social dopamine. Today I jumped up and down with excitement that I got to do my laundry. I would much rather live a life where I find delight in that than one where I am constantly living what looks like a good life.