RECAPTURING SUNDAYS

Exciting news! One of my favorite authors, Ferenc Mate', has just come out with a new book: The Wisdom of Tuscany. You may recall that one of his earlier books, A Reasonable Life, was sent off as part of our Year of Reading Dangerously Give-Away. In this new one he tackles many of the same issues discussed in that first one - our impersonal culture, rampant consumerism, lack of community, atrocious diets and health - but now he is approaching these issues with all of the wisdom and maturity he has gained from twenty years of living in Tuscany. Can't wait to dig in!

Mate' is very good at asking uncomfortable questions, and in one of the early chapters, I see, he asks this one: What the heck happened to Sundays? Not so very long ago, Sundays were about spending time with friends and family. We used to thrive on each other's company, now we thrive on stuff. Once, Sundays were a day of rest. Now they are probably the most exhausting day of all, as we try to cram in all of the chores that there's no time for during the week.

The times, though, they are a changin', and we may have this economic crisis to thank for it. People are finally spending a little less time in the malls, a little less time over-organizing and over-scheduling themselves to death, and a little more time just enjoying each other's company. At least, that's what I'm seeing here in Wimberley. Take yesterday, for instance, when a friend of one of the Muses invited us to come hang at her place, play with some watercolors, walk down to the river, meet some fun people, share some food and maybe make a little music. Now that's what I call a good Sunday!