A Different Idea of Business Hours

Brenda and  I had Saturday evening free, so we headed to the Biggest Mall in Botswana.  We were going to grab a bit of Supper, then off to the Game (WalMart) store.  We ate a nice meal at the Traditional Fish and Chips, chatted with the Moroccan owner and his wife, and took pictures of their older daughter.

After our meal, we took a leisurely stroll down the mall, noting that most of the stores were closed. We finally arrived at Game, only to discover that on Saturdays… it closes at 1600!  Wow!  Their late night of operation is Friday, where they are open to 1900!  Go figure.  Live and learn. 

Of course, there is nothing wrong with closing your store at any hour you might choose.  In fact, I kinda admire the fact that the store management is not going to let profits mess with their weekends.  Perhaps we would be much better off if we opened fewer hours, and had  a few more cashiers working.

Same is true for me, I think.  As a Type A personality, I keep open too many hours.  There is so much work I can do, I work.  I get satisfaction, so I work.  In my father’s generation (born 1913),  the highest compliment you could give was, “He’s a hard worker.”   My father, after retirement, only worked about 40 hours a week.  Much of my life, he worked 12 hours per day, 5 days per week, and took off Wednesday afternoon, which means a work week of 66 hours.

But I am reminded of one of my fav verses, in Ecclesiastes 12 where it says,  “Of the writing of many books there is no end, and much study is weariness to the bones.”

Oh L^rd, let us rest in You.