Name: Amelia
Age: 24
Occupation: Engagement Director
July 13, 2018
Noon – I’m still at work at this point, but make a note that I’m going to avoid social media during Shabbat this evening. Between instagrammers on vacation, adults on facebook, and the news cycle, I need a mental break.
4:20 – I currently only have one Shabbat tradition I physically participate in and I’m lucky enough that my employer lets me get off work 40 minutes early every Friday to partake in it. Despite the time it takes place every week, my wind down has nothing to do with anything 420. It’s yoga. I head to my meditation and yoga class to end my week. I’ve found the meditation/yoga combo is a great way for me to wholly prepare for the weekend.
4:45 – Meditation has ended and I’m gonna be real, I fell asleep.
5:45 – Yoga is done. I’m feeling sweaty and good and ready to cook dinner with the boyfriend.
6:00 – Receive call from boyfriend. He’s on a very important craigslist purchase mission and won’t be home till late. Not to fear though, I’m an independent woman that needs no man on this or any Sabbath!
6:45 – Decide to try out the new champagne bar in Uptown. I grab my book, put on an outfit that hopefully makes me look like a confident solo diner, and off I go.
7:30 – I am drunk at this champagne bar. Too drunk to read. I decide to break my social media cleanse because even though I am a strong, independent woman, I’m now also adding drunk to my epithet so adjustments must be made. I wonder if my low tolerance is kosher for my Shabbat Diaries, as getting drunk alone on the Sabbath seems like a big no-no. I decide to Google it.
7:36 – Turns out it’s basically a commandment to drink on Shabbat. Yeah there are some details about prayers and wine, but honestly, semantics. It’s 2018: welcome to the new Shabbat where we drink French 75s instead of Manischewitz, eat baguettes instead of challah, and get ourselves lit up instead of the candles.
8:00 – Tweet some stuff (view below). Living my best life, clearly.
8:54 – I’m home. I remember Netflix added Princess Diaries and also that I have chicken nuggets in my freezer. Some may see my Shabbat as deteriorating, but I see it as vastly improving.
10:00 – Boyfriend gets home. We watch the end of Despicable Me 3 (yes, it took us two days to watch the entirety of this movie). I’m sober now and exhausted. I fall asleep thinking that the movie isn’t as bad as I thought it would be.
Shabbat Summary: Besides the yoga, I don’t repeat any action from week to week. How is this a Shabbat? Or as all youngest siblings ask (basically), “How is this Friday night different from all other Friday nights?” I don’t cook a meal or even sit down with friends or family. I say no blessings. I don’t unplug. I don’t even really think about being Jewish. All true, but you know what else I didn’t do? Check work emails, make a to-do list, get anxious about my future, worry about my present, or feel guilt about my past. I just existed. I rolled from one moment to the next and let me tell you that is NOT easy for me to do. Shabbat is a mental space I create and then let myself fully step into. Basically I let my brain turn to mush and fall into a pit of pillows and generally chill the folk out. Of course my brain returns to its proper neuro-chaos promptly at 9AM the next morning. It’s nothing if not prompt.
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