Just Take the Day Off!

How crazy we’ve become. How many of us move automatically through our days - heads down, blinders on, eyes glued to the game plan?  Like zombies we’ve become lost in the details of our lives and overwhelmed by an ever-growing list of obligations.  

Why this habit?  What’s our reward?  Is it me, or does that reward feel elusive (or vaguely unsatisfying)?  Why do we continue to spin our wheels?  And why so quickly?

I’m guilty.  I once prided myself on my multi-tasking skills.  I raced from one event to the next, made a game out of squeezing many things into narrow time slots, and felt satisfied mostly when I was able to cross a number of items off my list.  (Ok so I still do it, but not as much as before!)

Awhile ago, I made the conscious decision to slow down.  Of course, this was only after my third auto accident, all of which resulted from my being in such a hurry.  The one that finally got my attention happened because I felt I could not wait 2 minutes for the green light in the left-turn lane.  (Yup, thought I’d just zip over one lane to go another route and did, straight into a car that was already moving in that lane.)

Slowing down brought some self-awareness.  How tense I had become in order to maintain the harried pace.  After changing my mind set, my shoulders released and my neck didn’t ache as before.  It seemed I’d acquired more space in my mid-section; I felt my body breathe.  I started fully engaging in what I was actually doing instead of thinking about the next item on the list.  My body is much happier now.

I am totally Type A and self-employed to boot, meaning I have no set schedule and the “shoulds” chatter in my head like paisley thoughts - which can make me grumpy.  (Ask my boyfriend.)  Recently, said boyfriend offered to come into town from the North Shore and treat me to a day of my choosing.  I’m used to filling my day with a long list of to-dos.  So, what did I want to do?  Instaneous panic with the usual fear-thoughts such as:  How can I make the most of this opportunity?  Will I lose out on the best ever thing to happen if I choose A over B?  

Regretfully, this is normal thinking for me.  Does it sound familiar to you?

To continue:  I decided to go to the Honolulu Museum of Art to take in two shows - Rodin and the Artists of Hawaii.  We had the Best! Day! Ever! (written on the perfect card Forrest found and sent to me afterward - he’s so wonderful).  We made crude quick sketches of some of the statues, looked deep and long at the local artist show and had a delightful time at lunch making jokes and cracking each other up over silly unimportant things. 

Only later did I realize that there was nothing either silly or unimportant about that day.  It was refreshing.  It was rejuvenating.  It was perfection.  And it was the result of nothing more momentous than enjoying each bit as it unfolded.

That euphoric feeling, as if I’d accomplished something of value, lasted a couple days longer.  Then life demanded my attention and it dissipated.  However, I’ve found that I can re-create that good feeling simply by thinking about that day.  An added bonus is that I get quite a bit of stuff done when I’m feeling good. 

I encourage you all to do the same - go have some crazy fun!

Ahhhh…

Judy

“Most of American life is driving somewhere and then driving back wondering why the hell you went.”  John Updike, quoted in the Daily Telegraph (U.K.)