Holy Leisure - Fr. Aaron Hess

Now that the joy and light of Christmas is quickly leaving in the rearview mirror, we get to fully embrace the drab, cold, and gray world that is the middle of winter in Ohio. And this is easily one of the most difficult times of the year for many people, as it can affect so many emotions. In these moments, we have to be even more intentional with our time and allow it to be spent well, certainly with prayer first as well as time with family and the normal time devoted to work. But there are times each day and throughout the week where we can and should take time away from the normal requirements and allow ourselves the opportunity to relax and enjoy holy leisure.

Unfortunately, though, this is much harder for many people than what we think. Some people are hard workers and put in constant hours on their job, and then when they get home they are always working around the house, and they are too busy to do anything else life-giving. And this can very quickly lead to feeling burnt out and tired constantly. On the other side, some people get done with their job and other responsibilities and then “crash,” sitting down in front of a television or their phone and mindlessly zoning out to Social Media or the latest sitcom on streaming sites, and this can quickly lead to lethargy and a lack of caring. But true and holy leisure should be something that doesn’t shut off our minds. It should be time spent that brings joy and life and energy to your heart and spirit.

Obviously there are tons of ways that this can be done, but I want to list off just a few ideas. You could begin to pour into a hobby, whether knitting, woodworking, sketching, working on cars, it could be tons of different things. Your family or friends could also enjoy you picking up some cooking or baking skills that you can share with them--try out some new recipes for fun, or challenge yourself by buying something different from the store and figuring out the best way to cook it. You can also take that time to learn more about a topic of importance or interest: history, genealogy and your ancestors, or even more about the Catholic faith. You can always find some great resources for this last idea at places like Peter’s Pence Catholic Library in Sidney, or Silver Cross Bookstore in Ft. Loramie, to name a few. One thing I’ve been doing lately too is trying to improve my Spanish, so even something like downloading Duolingo as an easy way to start learning any language could be a fun and productive use of time! Another idea is to maybe reach out to some people you haven’t talked to in a long time. I would suggest writing a letter: we all know how exciting it is to get real physical mail. And what a great and thoughtful way to reconnect with old friends or relatives that live across the country that you don’t get to see as frequently.

All of these are just suggestions, and there are tons more that we can look at. But it doesn’t have to be much of anything-maybe you just want to go to a local coffee shop, get a hot drink, and sit by the window on your own and relax while watching cars drive by. The encouragement for all of us in this is to be intentional in taking that time for ourselves as well as using that time in a fruitful, mindful way. Through this, we become more well-rounded humans with more life and joy in our normal, everyday lives.