3 Simple Ways To Reclaim Sunday and Live Better

A French-Style Sunday awaits

“When Sundays slide, you’re dead.”

I met Jenny years ago. She’s a thriving professional and businesswoman with wild curls. Today, she looked at me with the intensity of an aggravated ginger cat. “You can’t make or break plans with me on Sundays. They’re made in advance and are for recharging and fun only.”

Jenny’s intense.

But something about her Sunday declaration grabbed me. This woman knows how to do life — she’s happy, grounded, and has a contagious laugh that carries through corridors.

The last few years in Australia, we’ve had rolling disasters. Fires raged, then Covid hit. Now we’re dealing with a rain bomb and floods while watching the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ukraine.

Jenny met this period with high spirits and an ongoing devotion to the good bits of life.

I’ve gone the other way; I feel weary and a bit anxious.

Laughing felt foreign, like something I used to do but forgot.

Recently, I laughed at something my daughter said, and it caught me by surprise. Laughing felt foreign, like something I used to do but forgot.

Jenny’s onto something; during times of uncertainty and strife, self-care is critical. And she isn’t alone in her Sunday approach. The French are also masters of the art of Sunday.

It‘s time to follow their lead, and reclaim the last day of the week.

Parisians know best

On my first Sunday in Paris, I didn’t understand why it felt so different.

By 10 am, I had a word for it — unhurried.

On Sundays, Parisians shut their shops, stroll, and brunch. They also carry bread. I’ve never seen so much breadstick action.

A curious thing happens as you get older; you can get overrun by the urge to be productive. I keep my task lists in Trello, a task management app. Moving cards around feels great, and archiving them gives an artificial but delightful sense of accomplishment. Saying no to necessary jobs, even on weekends, can take colossal willpower.

Parisians have avoided the itch to be effective and efficient and save Sunday for tasting life (and sandwiches.)

I’ve dabbled with the Parisian Sunday approach before but let it slip in this period of Covid restrictions.

I’ve missed it.

In the name of living better, I’m reinstating my commitment to unhurried Sundays and tasty sandwiches.

The ultimate Sunday activity

Parisians might have Sunday nailed, but the Japanese know a thing or two about living well.

To shake off feeling weighed down, I’m employing the Japanese concept of ichi-go ich-ie.

In the book IKIGAI, authors Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles translate ichi-go ich-ie to mean the moment exists only now and won’t come again. It’s commonly used in tea ceremonies and martial arts and suggests we should value encounters as fleeting. The phrase also suggests we should be the hunter of the special moments.

I can’t think of a better Sunday activity than hunting special moments.

The authors also interviewed centenarians (people 100 and over) from Okinawa. The locals shared their views on the secrets to a long life. One said, “The secret to a long life is: gather together and go from place to place.” Another said, “There’s no secret to it. The trick is just to live.”

Right. We need to travel, get together and just live. I can do that.

I haven’t met an Okinawan, but I suspect they’d support the idea of shaking off our to-do lists and perpetual angst and carving out Sundays for the business of living.

Forget fat books

“Your book looks boring.” I had Maps of Meaning, the architecture of belief, open on my lap. My 5-year-old was half right. The book had interesting concepts but was as dry as ash.

I looked at her book, Power to the Princess. It has a red velvet cover, gold embossing, and kick-ass girl heroes.

That was it! I made a vow — no more fat books on Sundays. Fat books have tiny text and heavy meaning. They rarely have gold embossing.

With her book in my hand, I decided to dedicate Sundays to something lighter. I’ll stick to things that inspire and thrill. I want books that feel spacious. Fun or poetic or trashy work well too. Graphic novels, illustrations, and embossed covers get extra points.

There’s a place for fat books. But let’s save tough text, progress, and heavy representations for any other day.

The Sunday shake-up

I won’t judge you if you work or clean your toilet on Sunday. I get it; sometimes necessity trumps fun.

Shaking up my Sunday routine isn’t even about Sunday.

It’s about making small intentional gestures towards tasting life. Instead of going after my work stack and fat books on Sundays, I’m amplifying the good bits. I’m going after couches, crustaceans, and car trips as well as fun, forests, family and friends, parks, BBQs, and beaches.

Letting my heart be glad for a day doesn’t diminish the complexities of our world. It means I’m living the best I can in the time I have.

Jenny’s right. We shouldn’t let Sundays slide.

Or, in the words of Robin Dreeke, Former Head of FBI Behavioral Analysis Program, “You can’t always change the world, but you usually can change your world.”

Don’t let me put you off—Maps of Meaning, it’s a fascinating topic worth exploring. Check out the podcasts and interviews with Jordan B. Peterson on his website. It just happens that the book is more of a textbook (it’s not made for a Parisian Sunday.)

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