unemployed with a Mennonite work ethic

Hard work has always been valued highly in my family. Both of my parents, as well as their parents, are very productive, get-things-done kinds of people. I never realized that this work ethic had been passed down to me until I was a college student, up and about early on Saturday mornings, when the rest of the world wisely stayed in bed and caught up on sleep. I've made some of my adjustments and now welcome the non-productive hours on the weekends, the rest that Sabbath invites us to take, the spontaneous events that interrupt my days. But still, this Mennonite work ethic pulses through my veins and influences the most restful days. SO, what does an unemployed Mennonite do?

She starts each day with a thorough to-do list. Whether running errands or whipping up a batch of Christmas cookies, she hits the ground running. Lately, she is making homemade Christmas gifts and cards, writing letters, reading many books, trying new recipes, baking thousands of cookies with her Dad in the evenings (and recycling the sugar, as her Dad has taught her), packing up her childhood bedroom, digging through old journals, finding hilarious letters she once received, making plans for the next few months. She takes a spontaneous trip to Maine with a missionary friend, with a wedding and a visit with Thai friends sprinkled in. She also has undertaken making things like toothpaste and soap and deodorant, because she is tired of the toxins she uses and wants to steward the earth's resources differently.

And so, this Mennonite, although unemployed, keeps busy (perhaps busier than when with something of a schedule?) and keeps going.