Will all these work for those who necessarily overwork, the ones who work the graveyard shift, or the habitual (because only productive when so) night owls? Perhaps, depending on how elements of ending the day right can be integrated into their lives. At the very least, the subjective well-being of everyone else will be greatly enhanced by a lifestyle that complements the burning desire to relax and be at peace at the onset of eventide.
Fellowship at the meal table or the living room instead of rushing into individual rooms when one has gone home is a way not only of ridding oneself of the stresses of a bygone day. It also strengthens relational bonds between people. Talking with workmates or schoolmates on the way home should be the prelude to exchanging accounts of the adventures of the day with family at home.
With some imaginative multi-tasking (this is not just for the workplace), good household conversation can also take place before or after dinner, say, while together tending the garden, preparing supper, setting and cleaning the table, washing dishes or feeding the pets. If getting apprised of the day’s news cannot be helped, this need not be a communication barrier. A family can discuss what’s coming out of the television.
After the common hours, one can spend time in reading, exercise, or some other light, relaxing hobby. The good that comes from reading an inspirational or storybook is not just entertainment or the broadening of one’s mind. A story can reveal an insight or two into one’s life and relationships, especially where one’s true story finds a storybook parallel, or where one’s aspirations are mirrored in the character of a tale. Exercise not only keeps one fit but also helps keep up one’s mood, the better to relate with people at or outside the home. The products of a hobby – a poem, a song, a sculpture, embroidery – can be future tokens of love and friendship.
Examining the day is also an important practice for ending it well. One should not wonder at those who brim with a seemingly otherworldly lightness in spite of their heavy responsibilities day after day. A healthy self-consciousness through a nightly examination of the day has got a lot to do with it. It helps by looking at the past day, to appreciate where one has grown and where one may grow further as a human person, if given the gift of another morn.
The examination can be done in different ways. Celebrity host Oprah Winfrey once said at the end of the day she makes it a point to remember everyone whom she met with during that day. One can do so and whisper, or write down a word or two of thanksgiving for the people one meets in a day: when one so chooses, one can see the lesson that person has imparted during the time of meeting.
Traditional liturgies draw one into an “examination of conscience.” One can go through this with the perspective in mind of the science fiction and fantasy writer Madeleine L’Engle who said, “In the evening of life we shall be judged on love.” One can take the questions from Leo F. Buscaglia’s “Love Quiz” as examination guides:
Is anyone a little happier because I came along today? Did I leave any concrete evidence of my kindness, any sign of my love? Did I try to think of someone I know in a more positive light? Did I help someone to feel joy, to laugh, or at least, to smile? Have I attempted to remove at least a little of the rust that is corroding my relationships? Have I gone through the day without fretting over what I don’t have and celebrating the things I do have? Have I forgiven others for being less than perfect? Have I learned something new about life, living, or love?
After the exam comes the night prayer. As Max Ehrmann says in his "Desiderata," one ought to be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be.
Fellowship at the meal table or the living room instead of rushing into individual rooms when one has gone home is a way not only of ridding oneself of the stresses of a bygone day. It also strengthens relational bonds between people. Talking with workmates or schoolmates on the way home should be the prelude to exchanging accounts of the adventures of the day with family at home.
With some imaginative multi-tasking (this is not just for the workplace), good household conversation can also take place before or after dinner, say, while together tending the garden, preparing supper, setting and cleaning the table, washing dishes or feeding the pets. If getting apprised of the day’s news cannot be helped, this need not be a communication barrier. A family can discuss what’s coming out of the television.
After the common hours, one can spend time in reading, exercise, or some other light, relaxing hobby. The good that comes from reading an inspirational or storybook is not just entertainment or the broadening of one’s mind. A story can reveal an insight or two into one’s life and relationships, especially where one’s true story finds a storybook parallel, or where one’s aspirations are mirrored in the character of a tale. Exercise not only keeps one fit but also helps keep up one’s mood, the better to relate with people at or outside the home. The products of a hobby – a poem, a song, a sculpture, embroidery – can be future tokens of love and friendship.
Examining the day is also an important practice for ending it well. One should not wonder at those who brim with a seemingly otherworldly lightness in spite of their heavy responsibilities day after day. A healthy self-consciousness through a nightly examination of the day has got a lot to do with it. It helps by looking at the past day, to appreciate where one has grown and where one may grow further as a human person, if given the gift of another morn.
The examination can be done in different ways. Celebrity host Oprah Winfrey once said at the end of the day she makes it a point to remember everyone whom she met with during that day. One can do so and whisper, or write down a word or two of thanksgiving for the people one meets in a day: when one so chooses, one can see the lesson that person has imparted during the time of meeting.
Traditional liturgies draw one into an “examination of conscience.” One can go through this with the perspective in mind of the science fiction and fantasy writer Madeleine L’Engle who said, “In the evening of life we shall be judged on love.” One can take the questions from Leo F. Buscaglia’s “Love Quiz” as examination guides:
Is anyone a little happier because I came along today? Did I leave any concrete evidence of my kindness, any sign of my love? Did I try to think of someone I know in a more positive light? Did I help someone to feel joy, to laugh, or at least, to smile? Have I attempted to remove at least a little of the rust that is corroding my relationships? Have I gone through the day without fretting over what I don’t have and celebrating the things I do have? Have I forgiven others for being less than perfect? Have I learned something new about life, living, or love?
After the exam comes the night prayer. As Max Ehrmann says in his "Desiderata," one ought to be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be.
