For some reason, this past holiday season, all kinds of people told me about a tradition they practice after Christmas and before the New Year called "Pajama Day," or variations thereon. It's predicated on the notion that the run-up to whatever your holy-day in the Season of Light is, is fraught, too busy, exhausting, and that those participating need a break. Not only a break, but a full-stop, do nothing, laze around, eat/sleep/read sort of day.
This translates as no obligations. No appointments outside the house. No cooking. No cleaning. No nothin' except what you wanna, when you wanna, how you wanna. And that goes for everyone else in the house, too.
What could this possibly have to do with year-round holiness?
Well, dear one, it's not only Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa that are a fraught time of year. Most of us spend most of our time over-scheduled, overtired, undernourished at the level of soul. Most of us spend a lot of our time feeling obligated. Most of us need a Pajama Day. Dare I say it? A monthly Pajama Day.
The simplest form to follow for a pajama day is only to do what you want. Period. "No exceptions, no reservations, no loopholes," to quote Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Jody Williams. Do just what you wanna do when you wanna do it. Stay in your pajamas.
Pajamas are the costume that keeps us each closest to our true selves. We can't really lie about who we are or what we need when we're wearing our comfiest pajamas. That's why they're perfect for Pajama Days. Pajamas keep us closest to our own wholeness and holiness is a quick skip from wholeness.
So this year, consider creating an interior file in your soul called Pajama Day, and when things get crazed, out of nowhere, declare a blustery March Saturday Pajama Day, or a blistery August Sunday Pajama Day or any blessed day you feel like stopping and hanging out in your own holy wholeness.
For spiritual nourishment, visit Dr. Susan Corso's website and blog, Seeds for Sanctuary. Follow her on Twitter @PeaceCorso and Friend her on Facebook.