Sunday Routines and How They Anchor Us

Sunday routines tend to creep up on us.  They develop innocently enough as we start our adult years but slowly they set in to ingrained grooves.

In our early 20s, they may take the form of “Sunday Funday” where brunch is a competitive sport and the Sunday scaries set in like a dread disease as our weekend buzz wears off.

As life’s responsibilities accumulate, Sunday routines start to take a different shape.  They may involve worship, personal fitness, self-improvement, or enrichment.  Sometimes they can include hobbies, time with friends and family, or activities one does not otherwise have time for during the week.

Around the homestead, we have a couple of variations on our Sunday routines.  When we are on the road, our preference is to fly home on Monday morning.  We can enjoy a leisurely Sunday in our destination.  That allows us to stay as close to our home routine as possible.  Jim and I both had almost identical Sunday routines when we were single!

Some mornings we’ll get up early and go to church and then brunch afterwards.  But when we don’t, those are great mornings to watch the weekly news shows and cook a leisurely breakfast.  It also allows for time to catch up on proper journalism while listening to good music.  This is where we might fight for control of Pandora!

A nice afternoon is a great opportunity to catch up on projects.  We can read or write, catch an art exhibition, or enjoy drinks with friends on a sunny patio.  A bit of built in leisure is good before getting back to the grind of a busy travel and work week.

Sunday evenings are usually reserved for getting ready for the work week.  If we are on the road, we might spend the evening getting mentally prepared to fly to our next destination.  If we are at home, we might be folding and putting away laundry while catching up on shows recorded on the DVR.

I enjoyed reading this Apartment Therapy piece about what other couple’s Sunday routines typically look like.

Our “Must Haves”

My top five “must haves” for a great Sunday include the following:

1. A good playlist (Morrissey, Pink Floyd, a bit of 80s new wave)
2. Brunch cocktails
3. The New York Times
4. Sunglasses and flip flops
5. No agenda for the entire day

Jim’s top five “must haves” for a great Sunday include:

1. Jazz (Coltrane, Miles Davis)
2. A big breakfast
3. Sitting outside drinking coffee in nice weather
4. Reading for pleasure
5. No alarm clock

We’d love to know what YOUR Sunday routines are?  Share your top five in the comments below.

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