Yesterday was my day off. As sometimes happens, we were in and out all day. Lots of little jobs we had to do. Various little errands to run. We even had a planned meeting at my children’s school. It seemed to be a long series of coming in and out all day. We also decided to have a barbecue (because why not?!) so it involved getting some stuff for that, bits of prep setting it up and doing it.

For some, a day full of little bitty jobs, meetings and preparing for dinner that is not a great day off. But in all honesty, it was pretty good. Nothing we did was especially exciting. Nothing we did was very difficult. But it involved a day of things that needed doing, that weren’t particularly taxing, but that required enough thought and activity that I had to focus on them enough to get me out of my own head.

This, I think, is the essence of a decent day off. Not doing nothing. Not just wasting the day. But finding something to do (or maybe several somethings to do) so that your mind is occupied enough that it isn’t just churning over the various issues at your church. Doing anything too taxing will not be restful either. You don’t rest by replacing one load of hard work with another. But there is a sweet spot of stuff that occupies you so you are taking a genuine break from your usual work but that isn’t so tiring or taxing that you feel shattered by the end of the day.

So, for me, I had a series of little jobs out and about to do. I had to get some stuff form the shops, I had to pop into the doctor, I had to go and pick something up, I then had a meeting to go to at the kids school and then I had the prep and setup of the barbecue to sort out. None of it was difficult, none of it tiring, but all of it required enough brain space to get it done that I didn’t spend the entire time thinking about the latest things going on at church.

So, though organising a good day off probably doesn’t include doing all these little jobs, for me they can often be quite helpful. Not because I love doing little jobs and mundane tasks, but because those things help me get out of my own head. And that is a good rest for me.