Whatever Happened to Sundays?

By Paul M. Latta, Webmaster

I don't know about you, but when I was a child it seemed that Sundays meant a lot more than they do today. Sundays were long, languid, lazy days of rest and relaxation. A day to do almost nothing or so it seemed. Sundays were a day to recharge your batteries before starting the week ahead. They were a day to connect with God and to connect with your family. Whatever happened to Sundays?

Times are so hectic now and Sundays, it seems, are merely used for catching up on the projects and chores which we didn't get to during the previous week. Sundays are crammed with things to do just like Monday through Saturday. Sundays have lost most of their specialness.

I am not so old that I have forgotten what Sundays used to be like. We would go to church in the morning in our “Sunday” clothes. When we got home we would immediately change out of these fine garments and into our “play” clothes. Remember play clothes? Then we would go into the neighborhood and seek out our friends so that we could play outside. Not indoors with the Nintendo or the X-Box but actually out of doors under sunny, blue skies. We would run, we would jump, we would play sandlot baseball or “kill the man with the ball.” If we could find nothing better to do we would have rock fights or throw mud clumps at each other.

There was only one rule: be home before the streetlights came on or else. This rule we followed religiously for the consequences were strict and were enforced.

We roamed the train tracks, we skipped rocks on the river, we walked a mile to the park unescorted by adults and no one worried that monsters would snatch us up. There were no cell phones. Parents would corral their offspring by actually yelling their names out loud into the neighborhood air and this was considered acceptable behavior.

 There were no lawsuits over skinned knees and bloody noses no matter who was at fault.

If the weather was bad we had four channels to choose from (one of which was PBS- blah!). There was no Cartoon Network and no Nickelodeon. We watched the Tigers kick butt as George Kell and Al Kaline did the play by play. We watched the Lions get creamed as the Cowboys and Steelers prevailed. We watched old black and white movies not only because that was all that was on but also because they were good (especially the Three Stooges, nyuk, nyuk, nyuk!). If the movies were repeats (unless they were Three Stooges repeats) we would read books because there were no video rental stores nor no VCRs or DVDs. Our books would transport us to everywhere in the universe. There were no books on tape for the daily commute. Hell, the daily commute meant putting your canvas tennis shoes on to walk over to your buddy's house. Kids nowadays get everywhere by parent-driven SUV.

Oh Sundays, Sundays where have you gone? You were such an important part of my life but now you've been transmogrified into just another day. Whatever happened to Sundays? The answer explains a lot about what has happened to us all.

I urge us all to take back our Sundays! Let's start a coalition -- on Monday.

Here are some ways you can help the cause:
Start the day right by going to the church of your choice. If you're not a church-goer, at least spend a quiet portion of the day being spiritually reflective and meditate. Take time to give thanks, if not to God, or a higher power, then be grateful to the strange wonderful forces of chance which have led to your existence.

Put some classical music on the radio and read the entire Sunday paper. Actually do the crossword puzzle. Save the comics for last.

Set aside some time for a hobby. Build a model rocket or paint with watercolors.

Watch a Shirley Temple movie with your kids. Force them if you have to. When all is said and done they will love it.

If it's nice out, go outside and toss a football or baseball around. Remember just playing catch? It's a much better, truer way to help your kids develop hand and eye coordination than Nintendo.

When was the last time you went fishing or on a picnic or a drive to the country?

Just be lazy and take a nap. Remember naps?

Read a book from cover to cover. I actually did this last Sunday. I read Moe Howard's “Moe Howard and the Three Stooges.” What a great book! My wife thought I was crazy to spend an afternoon doing this and I'd have to say I “soitenly” was.

Take back your Sunday! It is within your power. Refuse to work