Pondering Sabbath in the Midst of Hustle: January 2021 Recap
Photo by Aaron Burden
One of the most baffling things about this past year of COVID and this current season is how quickly life can fill up even when habits shift. Some people are working from home and thus save the time of their commute but find that somehow that extra margin already got allocated to something else. Even with taking a precautionary stance and not socializing much, if any, other than virtually, I still find myself with the unending conundrums of, "I only have time for this or this. Which should I do?" At the end of every day, my planner's pages are highlighted with line after line of things I wanted to get done that day but just didn't get to. The truth of the matter is that this stuff will always be there--laundry will always need washed, dishes will always be dirtied, calls will always need to be made, the needs of those around you will still be present, and the idea that we can just keep hustling until things slow down is a myth. They just don't slow down. Planner that I am, I have sometimes found myself wanting to meal prep or read for class or clean that one room on my Sabbath day just because I convince myself that getting ahead in my to do list will alleviate future stress. The reality is that whatever time I thought I was saving gets filled up with something else unexpected. Thus, the concept of Sabbath, of intentionally embracing our limitations, and choosing play and delight is revolutionary.
I recently read about a concept called "revenge bedtime procrastination," a widespread phenomenon in which people who are overworked and feel like they have no control over their time, push themselves to stay awake later, doing things like mindless scrolling or watching another episode just to feel like they have some control and free time. I have occasionally found myself in that habit and asking myself, "Why am I doing this?" Now, I know.
This month was a time of transition as we came back to Honduras after months of being in the US, and transition is always a little challenging for me. January and February are always full months because of the stack of administrative tasks that need tackled. Add in grad school homework and the grind of keeping a Honduran house clean (aka not sealed, so there is fresh dirt pretty much every minute of every day and where doing even the most menial task seems to take double the time), and this month was a hustle. But, as I finished the book below on the Sabbath, I have found myself desiring to fight more for that margin, to jealously guard those moments where creativity can poke through. It's hard because I can be so task-driven, but I think it's worth continuing to wrestle. If not now, when? I want time to be my friend, not my enemy. But, I think that starts with showing it and myself who is boss. The most empowering thing may just be giving myself permission to have free, contemplative, creative time with God, to consciously enter His unforced rhythms of grace.
What I Read:
1) Sabbath by Dan Allender. This book was recommended by a classmate after I talked about struggles to discern what having a Sabbath needs to look like for me. It was a good read with lots of nuggets of wisdom and new perspectives to consider. Below are some excerpts that resonated with me.
"We seldom think of Sabbath as a structure that mediates grace throughout creation."
"The Sabbath is routinely rejected because it is one of our most profound tastes of grace."
"The core of delight is our capacity to worship, to create and enter beauty as a reminder and anticipation of God's goodness."
"The Sabbath is a day in which we enter time and call it holy."
"The privilege to walk hand in hand with time doesn't come because you merely yearn for it or know it would be good for yourself and your family. It only comes to exist when time is sanctified and made holy."
"Sabbath is not a break from work; it is a redefinition of how we work, why we work, and how we create freedom through our work."
"Abundance is not about possession; it is utterly, completely, and solely about gratitude."
2) The Politically Homeless Christian: How to Conquer Political Idolatry, Reject Polarization, and Recommit to God's Greatest Two Commandments by Aaron Schafer. I stumbled upon this e-book for Kindle and read it because the title resonated with me. He tries very hard to put his own political beliefs aside. He doesn't succeed 100% in not tipping his hand, but a lot of what he says is so important to ponder. He verbalizes a lot of the same feelings that I have had in regard to the relationship between Christians and politics in the last few years. It's a book that I think is worth reading even just to open ourselves up to be challenged and to ask ourselves the hard questions in polarizing times.
3) Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham. If you've been around here for long, you probably already know that I am a sucker for re-watching Gilmore Girls at least once a year. One of the best parts of that show is Lauren Graham. I listened to the audiobook of her memoir a couple years ago and really enjoyed it. This book was her first novel, and it follows a young lady as she is trying to break into show business through acting classes, auditions, and keeping financially afloat. Her characters are unique and relatable, and she writes with a flow that is enjoyable to read. The book has some language.
What I Ate:
Photo by Nicky Girly
1) Jalapeño popper wontons. I always get excited to use ingredients while in the US that I can't find in Honduras. I happened to find wonton wrappers randomly in our local grocery store, so I picked some up to see what I could do with them. I made these poppers for New Year's and they were pretty good. Make sure you have a good dipping sauce for them, and be advised--they do not reheat well. You could make these in an air fryer, but I just fried mine up in oil. Here is a recipe for reference:
https://copykat.com/wonton-jalapeno-poppers/ I added some garlic and other spices to mine.
2) Buffalo chicken wraps. Back when I attended Shepherd University, Mondays were Buffalo Chicken Wrap days in the dining hall. Dining hall food is generally not considered awesome, but these were good--so much so that the line to get these made-to-order wraps that were pressed in a panini press was usually very long. It's been a long time since I've had those wraps, so I decided to recreate them for my family. I chopped up some chicken and cooked it in some butter and buffalo sauce. From there, you can add what you want: Lettuce, tomatoes, celery, carrots, feta cheese crumbles or blue cheese crumbles, other shredded cheese, fresh herbs, ranch or blue cheese dressing, extra buffalo sauce. This time, I added some fresh dill, and it was so good. We didn't have a panini press, so we used a cast iron skillet to heat the filled and rolled wrap and pressed it with another heavy pan. Here is a recipe for reference:
https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/buffalo-chicken-wrap/
Photo by Yoav Aziz
3) Shakshuka. This was a handy egg dish that I made when we got back to Honduras since it took us while to get some groceries and get settled in while in quarantine. Make sure you eat this with some kind of bread or naan or tortilla to sop up extra sauce. Here is a recipe for reference:
https://downshiftology.com/recipes/shakshuka/
4) Peruvian chicken with green sauce. This chicken was really good. I recommend keeping some of the marinade to serve with the cooked chicken alongside the green sauce. Both sauces are a little spicy, so if you don't like spicy, use fewer jalapeños. Here is the recipe that also has a link to the green sauce recipe.
https://www.thecookierookie.com/whole-roasted-peruvian-chicken/
5) Persian-style stew. I very rarely eat seconds at dinner, but this dish warranted a second helping even with some substitutions and mistakes on my part. (I forgot to add the white beans.) This is a unique take on typical beef stew. Make sure you add feta cheese, and I would also recommend a small dollop of Greek yogurt to add some creaminess. Here is the recipe:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/herb-and-beef-stew/
What I Watched:
1) Scrubs. I haven't seen my brother in a year. He's the funniest person I know, and one of my favorite people on earth. There are a lot of shows and characters that remind me of Samuel, and this is one of them. It was such a long-running show that it spanned the time I was in middle school to the time I moved to Honduras. Zach Braff and Donald Faison started a quarantine podcast where they re-watch the show, so it seemed like a good time to revisit this comedy with so much heart. The show focuses initially on JD as he navigates his developing life as a doctor, but it soon expands to focus on the community of friends in Sacred Heart Hospital. The cast was close in real life, and I think that always translates to the best shows on-screen. And, as a side note, if you like Ted Lasso, the show creator, Bill Lawrence, also created Scrubs.
2) Best Leftovers Ever. This is a fairly recent cooking show on Netflix. It's a competition for three contestants of who can use leftovers the most creatively. It's an interesting premise, and I do like cooking shows. But, they don't really do what they say they'll do which is show you how to re-use your leftovers in new ways. You'd have to be a pretty knowledgeable cook to take the ideas the contestants use and translate them into your actual life. So, it's an okay show especially as a background for when you're doing your own meal prep, but not the best.
3) Edge of Tomorrow. I had never seen this movie before and had been under the impression that it was another non-descript action movie with Tom Cruise in it. However, I love Emily Blunt, so Raúl and I watched this together. The premise is actually really captivating in that it is a futuristic Groundhog Day situation where Tom Cruise is trapped in a time loop in the middle of an alien invasion. It does have action, but it also has some humor. I enjoyed it.
Favorites:
1) Jennifer Garner's Pretend Cooking Show. Jennifer Garner holds a special place in the hearts of most West Virginians because she grew up in West Virginia and speaks highly of it. I love cooking shows in general, but there is something particularly sweet about these 3 to 4 minute videos where she sings in funny voices, often appears sans make-up, and displays her impressive collection of pajamas. Most of her recipes are baking related, and she is open about when a recipe doesn't turn out the way she wanted. It's lighthearted and a perfect middle-of-day escape to smile.
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