I spent a lot of my weekend doing what I NEVER do: Relaxing. Check this out:
(I know our couch cover is godawful, but it hides the dog hair.)
That was my view on Sunday morning. We've recently reinstated the Sunday NYT, and I can't tell you how much I love it. I slept in (Lala was out of town, not that she would have tried to prevent me) until about 10:30 (unheard of!) and then moved to the chaise to drink coffee, read the Times, and do the crossword puzzle (on the iPad because the app is so fantastic). Every time my guilt-brain stirred and said, "Get up! Work! Write! Clean something!" I hit snooze on it and went back to reading.
Later, I idly wondered what time it was. Maybe 1pm? 1:30?
I looked at my phone. It was FOUR O'CLOCK. I'd been idling for five and a half hours. It was AWESOME. It felt kind of magical.
I've decided this: (remind me later, huh?) On Sundays when I'm not on total deadline, I will take the day off and only do what I want to do. Last weekend, when I made that whole list of things I was planning on doing, I felt like a failure when I counted things up and realized I'd only done three of my six plans. I don't want to PLAN my down time so much. I want to just be in it.
You would think it wouldn't be that hard, huh? I'm rereading Tom Hodgkinson's How to Be Idle: A Loafer's Manifesto because it helped me once, and it's helping again.
In fact, right now what I should be doing is folding and putting away laundry. Instead, I think I'll go take a nap. Or at least read for a bit. Back to work tomorrow for a long week, so I'm seizing the moment right now. Yay!
And oh, hey! You should check out the holiday recipe ring I'm in HERE, put on by all the Avon ladies at HarperCollins. My contribution was buttermilk pie. Mmmmm.
Sounds like a lovely day!
I recently terminated my Sunday NYT becuase I only got it about 50% of the time. It would piss me off when it wasn’t there and I would be irritated for hours. I’ll miss it, but it wasn’t worth it. Enjoy yours a little extra for me.
How freakin’ perfect a day is that! It took years, but I finally recognized that the “loafing” time is what fuels my productive time, both are equally important and so I enjoy it guilt-free. Good for you!
The only thing that looks different about your long weekend and mine, is that mine didn’t include the dogs or the iPad. I also came to the realization that when I have a free day, which is usually Sunday, I will not overload it with the shoulds and just do the wants….Viva la Couch!
Sometimes it’s more important to do nothing than it is to do any of the shoulds.
I LOVE the idea of hitting snooze on the guilt-brain.
soundsl ike a lovely day. I did that on the day after Thanksgiving. It was sooo nice …..
Everyone needs a recharging day. I call them my pajama days. Glad you got one in your busy life.
I love that you have all the animals hanging around the house with you. Our house looks the same way on a rainy dreary day. Sometimes it’s hard to find space on the couch when the dogs and cats claim it!
That sounds like an absolutely heavenly day to me! I spend more time than I probably should with the NY Times on Sundays, but get up on the early side to take a walk with a friend; a standing date we’ve managed to keep for close to 10 years. Makes it a little easier to get going… on the crossword puzzle when I get home!
Ahh – no better way to spend a Sunday. ‘Cept to do same loafing routine while sharing the Sunday Times with yer, um, lover……… This is classic, as any New Yawka who’s EVar been in love knows. 🙂
Suggest next week, stop by your favorite bakery on Sat, so you have some goodies to share with the Sunday a.m. coffee, and share the loafin with Lala.
ps – meanwhile, how’s our Digit?
Looks to me like the pets have the idle thang completely wired. Maybe we just copy-cat it.
I love the picture!! They all looked so relaxed!