One week a picture of a Harvard University president appeared...
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One week a picture of a Harvard University president appeared on the cover of Newsweek magazine with a one-word banner headline: "EXHAUSTED." What had happened was that Harvard president Neil Rudenstine had overslept one morning in November 1994 in the midst of a million-dollar-a-day fund-raising campaign. For this perfectionist it was a wake-up call. He simply had collapsed. He went to see his doctor who prescribed a three-month sabbatical during which he left his administrative duties and spent time with his wife relaxing on a Caribbean beach.
Wayne Muller in his book, Sabbath contends that when something like this happens to us we "have forgotten the Sabbath." He goes on to explain what he means: "Sabbath is more than the absence of work: it is not just a day off, when we catch up on television or errands. It is the presence of something that arises when we consecrate a period of time to listen to what is most deeply beautiful, nourishing, or true. It is time consecrated with our attention, our mindfulness, and honoring those quiet forces of grace or spirit that sustain and heal us."
Wayne Muller in his book, Sabbath contends that when something like this happens to us we "have forgotten the Sabbath." He goes on to explain what he means: "Sabbath is more than the absence of work: it is not just a day off, when we catch up on television or errands. It is the presence of something that arises when we consecrate a period of time to listen to what is most deeply beautiful, nourishing, or true. It is time consecrated with our attention, our mindfulness, and honoring those quiet forces of grace or spirit that sustain and heal us."
