The Sabbath Experiment -- week 21

The Sabbath Experiment was a major fail this week and I'm here to confess that to you. Ever since I landed this temporary fulltime voice over job, I haven't been able to stay away from my office/studio for a single day. Half days, here and there. Maybe an evening. But not for an entire day.

The result? I am feeling a bit disjointed and not at all peaceful, as I did when I was setting aside that one day a week to rest and recreate.

Yesterday, following church and lunch with the kids, I fully intended to head home and tackle 6 hours of recording and editing. Instead, I ended up with a blinding migraine and had to go to bed. When I got up around 6, I still had a full night of work ahead of me. No Academy Awards. No Bananagrams with my husband. No visiting with friends. Work.

Originally, it was our scheduled domino night with "Fred" and his wife. Remember them? Fred has cancer and things are not looking good. So we scheduled domino night for the last Sunday of every month. However, when we called them early in the week to confirm, they were on the auto train on their way to Florida for a short vacation. How lovely for them.

So we invited out pinochle partners over for a night of cards. When I didn't hear back from them, I took the liberty of taking off some time here and there, with the eventual result meaning I had to work on Sunday. And work I did. Did I meet the deadline? Nope. So all that stressful working didn't even avail the desired result.

Oh we humans can be so stupid sometimes.

Goal for the week: Stay focused. Work. Get it done. And, for goodness sake, and the sake of your health -- physical, mental and spiritual -- enjoy the Sabbath!!! Bill and I have spent little time together lately, as I always seem to be in my office. He brings dinner to me, sits and chats with me a bit and then he goes and does his thing and I do mine. It's a lonely way of life and I don't want to live like this. Perhaps I need some time management courses, but then that would just overburden my already too full schedule.

It is a bit ironic, however, that yesterday was the day I worked on narrations for an eLearning course about delegating. I started thinking I needed an assistant...if only that were in the budget!! I just wish someone else could do the editing of my voice files so I could just focus on what I do best: narration. I hate editing. For every minute of recording, I count on about 10 minutes of work. Which is why I find it amusing (or annoying) when a client comes to me and says, "The script is only about 4,000 words. It shouldn't take you more than a half hour. I can give you twenty-five bucks." Then they get huffy when I say no. Oh well.

See, I'm starting the week with a grumbling spirit. What is that about? I believe it is about skipping over the Sabbath rest again this week. So I'm making a commitment to you, my friends in the community -- I will not work this coming Sunday. I want you to hold me to it. Send me emails. Post comments on my FB wall. Remind me. Reprimand me. Help keep me on track. That's not too much to ask, I hope.

Thanks for your grace. Now I need a little bit of tough love.

Keeping it honest about the Sabbath,

Hana