Day off

Once again it is my day off.

I really don't like days off. I know that the Sabbath is a commandment, and I know that I work on the Sabbath. Although not as hard as Oz, who has two rather impressive circuits of Leicester to accomplish every Sunday, and is living in fear of the day I ask him to do another two laps collecting a congregation for Evening Worship. But that is to digress. I feel I should be redeeming every hour. And yet I know that I have a duty to indulge myself in rest and recuperation once a week. So I work as hard at resting as I can.

For a start, I adopt a change in the tunes I hum to myself as I go about my daily tasks. On other days, I tend to hum metrical psalm tunes, or those modern songs that have passed the Doctrine committee. But on Thursdays I relax a little and hum some suitable hymns - but only the manly ones. From Greenland's Icy Mountains, or Alas and did my Saviour Bleed. I particularly like the latter. I find that the contrast between my former worm-like condition, and my new status where I am "happy all the day", rings particularly true.

I also like to adopt a more  relaxed expression. During the working week I adopt one of two facial expressions - either that of concerned spiritual interest, or one of inner light welling up into facial gladness. When I had to switch between the two very rapidly yesterday, it caused Marjorie to ask if I'd developed a tic. (She's changed a lot since I met her. At the time, I was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar. But that's another story.)

Anyway. On Thursdays, I adopt the facial gentle spiritual beam of resting in the Lord. Almost Moses-like, as if I'd just been in the back garden enjoying a face-to-face encounter with the Almighty.  And instead of the kind-but-commanding voice I use during the working week, I go for gentle-but-redeemed as a tone of voice. 

I also adopt a different dress policy. Instead of my formal-yet-modern working dress of corduroys, shirt and tie, with the tie replaced with a dog collar for Sabbath-day preaching, on Thursdays I sometimes undo the top bottom. I may even go without my braces or - if it's very hot - my cardigan or blazer.  But not both. One would not want to excite unsuitable emotions in any ladies one met. Especially on a Thursday.

I find it's in these little ways that I can enjoy my day off to the greatest extent, while still projecting a holy image.  But as I say, it's hard work.