Lunch Break

Adjustment. I’ve pondered on doing an entire post on “adjusting” and sharing my thoughts on the rocky road a recently returned missionary must tread, but I’ve decided to focus on just one adjustment for now.

That is the concept of “free time”, “down time”, or a “break”. Those are words that weren’t even part of my vocabulary for the last 18 months. Missionaries do NOT takes breaks. Not even on P-day. Missionaries NEVER have “free time” or anything like unto it, because they are on the Lord’s precious time, not a millisecond of which can be wasted. Some missionaries were a little bit more relaxed than me, as far as taking breaks and using time goes, but Hna. Blair never paused for a descanso. Some missionaries took naps during lunch, but I worked on the area book, read Jesus the Christ, made phone calls, or continued studying. I am by no means saying that is the only right way to do it. Some missionaries legitimately need those 60 minutes to rest, but I felt unconsecrated if I even paused.

So the point is, for the last year and a half, I never rested. Then here I am back in the world of regular people, faced with a regular schedule, regular expectations, and regular rules. There is nothing regular about never taking a break. When I first got back, I actually felt disobedient if I wasn’t in class or at the library (not kidding), and then I remembered that I wasn’t a missionary anymore a few days into the semester.

The adjustment I decided to make is what I like to call Lunch Break. Put simply, it means taking an entire hour (theoretically. This has yet to occur.) for a meal, not studying or working or anything. Taking an actual break. It’s a totally foreign concept for me, but I feel like the Lord inspired me to start this program for myself.

So here’s to lunch breaks!