When I first moved to the States 34 years ago I never shopped on Sunday. I'd lived in several different countries as a child and young professional. None of them had stores open on Sunday. In fact, none of them had stores open past 5 p.m. except one day a week. Being raised in a Christian household, it never occurred to me that Sunday wasn't everyone's day of rest and I firmly believed in that day of rest. But there are different religions with different obligations. Besides, several professions - medical, for instance, require 24/7 shifts that would make it difficult to get to the shops during "regular" hours. So over the years I come to recognizd the need for Sunday and evening shopping hours. But I still believe we need a down day, even if it's not Sunday. It just makes sense - a time for regrouping, relaxing and refreshment. Rather like switching off the computer to reset it, our brain and body need to switch off from daily routine, do something totally different so we can reset ourself.
So how come I find myself with so many others cruising the shopping aisles on a Sunday dressed in our "going-to-meeting" clothes? Has this just become a Sunday ritual?
Today my child is wearing the right socks for the right day, and...
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Today my child is wearing the right socks for the right day, and I feel
like a rock star!!!!
Today I have cleaned up poo, vomit, and snot. Today I have ...
7 years ago
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It is a time honored tradition in the South that you must make a presence in public in your "Sunday go to meetin'" clothes. It used to be by walking in the local park, or visiting friends, having friends and neighbors over to dinner (aka lunch for you yankees out there), or some other activity. Today, it is going shopping (which doesn't denote that you BUY something) with the whole family just after you leave Church. This covers two important aspects about religion: 1: you have one, and 2: that you have enough money to clothe and feed your family.
ReplyDeleteAmericans have never really "observed the sabbath" so much as "enjoyed the sabbath." In America, Sunday was often the ONLY day that a male did not work (recite the rhyme "A woman's work") so it became the day of leisure. Some families chose this day as a day of recreation. Americans have always been a work-a-holic nation and Sunday was the only day available to do many of the things we take for granted.