Little House and a Little Rest

It always seems like my to-do list is much longer in summer than any other part of the year. I made the mistake a few years ago thinking that after the Easter season had ended, I would be able to take a deep breath and relax a bit. Nope. Summer now seems to be the time when I catch up on all of the stuff that's sitting on the back burner and, depending on what my backlog of tasks looks like, it's a significant amount of work.

You might have noticed a few weeks where the blog posts have been missing. Part of that is certainly in response to the ever accumulating amount of work and responsibilities that come across my desk. But it's also been a bit of a harder couple of weeks. We had an unexpected loss in our family - my Uncle Bob who I've known since I was 4 years old. We've had some challenges as homeowners, as well, with much needed maintenance work. I finally feel like we've turned a corner though (knock on wood), and that life will feel a bit more focused for a little while.

The other challenge I'm running into is finding good content to write about. I never realized how much effort it takes to consume media with the intent of doing something with it. It's a lot easier to turn on a show and have it run in the background - I call it the "Spongebob Effect" - watching a show that is designed to entertain with simple humor and little to no intellectual quality. And honestly, sometimes I really like the Spongebob kinds of shows where I don't want to even think. I just want to laugh. The more complex storylines and the things that make one use their brain a bit more are so much more easily replaced by the 60 second videos on TikTok that give us the quick dose of dopamine.

Last weekend, I had a friend ask if I wanted to accompany him to the historic village at Sharon Woods. They were hosting a meet and greet for Dean Butler and Alison Arngrim (Almanzo Wilder and Nellie Oleson from the Little House on the Prairie TV series). It seemed like a fun way to spend a morning. Hundreds of other folks thought so too. After waiting in line for 3 hours for an autograph and a picture (yes, 3 hours in the heat and humidity), the moment came for our 100 seconds with Manly and Nellie. Would I do it again? Probably not. But, it was still a memorable experience to get to meet some of the great characters from a timeless story.

I first read the Little House books when I was in 3rd or 4th grade. The language and plot were both simple enough and the story easily captured my attention. And so I decided to rent Little House in the Big Woods from the library as a quick and entertaining read. It's not my typical choice of book, to be honest. Right now, I'm reading Tolkien's The Silmarillion - which for me requires a note taking process alongside reading so that I can keep up with the characters, geography, and events of the story. Little House in the Big Woods was honestly a welcome break from the more intense reading.

The story describes Laura Ingalls' childhood home in the Wisconsin woods. Her Pa is a farmer and hunter who works hard to provide for their family. Her Ma takes care of the home and Laura and her sisters. It's easy to romanticize the setting and the simple work from yesteryear, but in reality, I'm not sure I would have the tenacity to survive in a time without the conveniences of air conditioning, grocery stores, and Netflix. There's an interesting chapter in the book that describes the Ingalls' Sundays. The family bathes once a week, dresses nicely, listens to Bible stories and sings hymns, and, most importantly, they take a break from work and play. Laura is not a big fan of the boring Sundays and she loses her patience at one point. Pa tells her a story about when his father was a child. He snuck out of his hours with his older brothers on a Sunday afternoon to ride their newly built sled down the hill. They have to stay quiet the entire time, so as not to wake their father. But they get caught at the bottom of the hill. And, of course, they get in trouble for it. They spent so long building the sled that the prospect of waiting another day was too much.

For the hardworking folks of the 19th century, the Sunday Sabbath was still deeply important to their way of life. One might spend all of the daylight hours working in the fields and then come home to a list of other chores to be completed. Life was hard and rest was not only a treat but a necessity to maintain their way of life.

In our tradition, the third commandment of the 10 commandments tells us to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. And that can mean a lot of different things for different people. Some observe it by going to church. Others choose to spend their time away from work and with their families. Others choose to let the regular chores and obligations of daily life sit until the next day. And in many ways, these are all valid ways we might observe the Sabbath rest. But oftentimes, we don't. We let the pressures of a world that prioritizes convenience and immediacy take control. We let the hustle run our lives - both professional and personal. We try to fit so much into our lives that there is no place for rest. For us, the Sabbath is not meant to be an obligation - just one more thing to do. It is an invitation - an invitation to take care of ourselves. A time to put up the cell phone and be more present. A time to laugh, to play, to nap, to watch a show with the "Spongebob Effect" even. What if we said, "no," to the pressures around us to forget about ourselves? What if we chose to say, "This work will still be here tomorrow. Today I am going to take care of me."

I do realize that there is privilege in that statement. Not everyone is in the position to where they can just stop working for a day to take care of themselves and their families. It's getting harder and harder to make a living in some ways. We might not all be working in the fields or doing manual labor, but it doesn't mean that life is more manageable. There's a lot that needs to be done in our society so that even those with the fewest resources can still find time and place to rest.

I wonder about where you find rest and renewal in your life. Perhaps time in the outdoors, or reading a book? Maybe it's just getting to spend time with family and friends. Perhaps it's new experiences and travel. Whatever it may be, I hope that you are able to find those moments of respite and renewal that make life all that more meaningful.

Book: Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Peace!

-PT