Living by the calendar

For the past several days I have been staying with a couple of dear friends in Colorado.  And they are both retired.  I mean seriously retired.  They get up early two days a week; Sunday for church and Monday to put out the trash (no, you can't put it out the night before because of the bears).  And those are also their only measure of time.  The calendar.  So for someone who lives by a watch with alarms, that remind her when to be somewhere and a phone that assists in that duty, living by the calendar has been an experience.  

We made it to all the places that I wanted to visit, and most times we made it dry, surprised by a sudden downpour a time or two.  We ate when we were hungry, and not nearly as often as the clock might have demanded.  The days were just packed, but essentially had no idea what day it was.  

It was a very thin sort of place to be.  Time wasn't in control,  and coming out of a hectic teaching schedule with all sorts of demands, that was a huge change.  And while our movements were purposeful, certainly wouldn't have put us in the wandering category, it was a delight.  It was Sabbath.

There is no one I can blame for my schedule, that all falls to me.  And while I look forward to my own days of retirement and calendar living, I need to remember that God said Sabbath was important.  

That is a thin place that should be here all along.