Real Simplicity

Chapter 1 of Real Simplicity

You know when you get a book from the library thinking it's going to be one thing...
and it turns out to be something totally different???

That happened to me with this book. I'm not exactly sure what I expected, but it wasn't really what this book turned out to be. BUT I'm really enjoying it!

It's about how BUSY we've made out lives with running here and there.

I especially loved the chapter that talked about the theory of the Hebrew pattern for a day.

"For the ancient Hebrew, there is a divine plumb line that governs the patterns of the day; 6 am (dawn) to 6 pm (dusk). Oddly enough, the day begins for a Hebrew person the "day before," or at 6 pm. This is consisitent with the way God referred to each day in Genesis chapter 1.

There are essentially three major activities in each day that should be governed by night and day: productivity, relationship, and sleep. Because the work of the Hebrew was agrarian, productivity was accomplished during the hours of sunlight - 6am to 6 pm. From that point on, the time would be devoted to relationships - time with family, extended family, and friends; sharing a meal; and a time of storytelling. There would be no rush, because there was no place to go and no distractions (TV/Internet). Between 9-10 pm everyone would settle down to get a good night's sleep. The basic structure of a normal day for the Hebrews went like this: 12 hours of productivity and work 6 am - 6 pm; 4 hours available for relationships (6pm-10pm); and 8 hours designated for sleep (10 pm - 6 am). Each member of the Hebrew family would operate within these guidelines each day for six days. Then they rested on the Sabbath." Randy Frazee

I've been chewing on this day cycle.....