Do you ever have one of those days where you just can't stop? As in, you have the TV news channel ticker at the bottom of your conscious mind that is telling you everything that needs to be done, and everything on the list seems completely urgent and in need of doing RIGHT NOW?
What's so strange is that I actually have the healthy, good-for-me thoughts in my brain: "Today I should do yoga...I should sit on the meditation cushion...today I should just go out, just for the sake of going out of the house, but not to run errands. I'll just go to a coffee shop and read."
I had all of those good intentions yesterday. Really. I had the day off. I had time. I could have relaxed, done some really good healing things for myself. We just got home from a tour this weekend to Wisconsin Rapids and Green Bay. I had earned some R and R.
You wanna know what I did instead?
I went to three - yes, three - different home supply warehouses to price patio tables. (Target had the least expensive, Lowes the best quality...but that's beside the point.) I raided the garden center at one of the aforementioned home supply warehouses and bought tons of annuals, potting soil, and ivy. I stopped by one of my favorite clothing stores and stocked up on high-quality tunic-style t-shirts.
Then I came home, took care of some work-related phone calls and email, went through a whole bunch of paperwork, fed Ben at least 3 times, took the baby monitor outside on the front porch and planted two giant pots of red geraniums with variegated vinca ivy trim in front, two hanging pots of cascading wave white petunias, and a smaller pot of red and gold marigolds. I hooked up a new hose and watered them all and cleaned up. I emptied, reloaded, ran, and re-emptied the dishwasher. I put away the dishrack dishes. I did two loads of laundry. I organized the utility closet. I cooked and ate dinner.
I then proceeded to straighten the entire house, picking everything up off the floor and clearing tables so the cleaning team that comes can actually get to the surfaces they need to clean.
I didn't get into bed until nearly 1am, and it was absolutely not Ben's fault. And ha! Even though I was in bed, I still thought, "oh man, I need to get some reading done for my church study group on Wed. night" and went on to read a chapter to check that too off my Cinderellafied to-do list.
So I want to ask you...do you ever have these binges of productivity when you think perhaps you might want to slow down a bit? I actually don't mind so much, except when the constant tickertape of my brain can't stop for days on end. My house looks great, and so does my front porch...but sheesh. Why is it so hard to slow down and just have a cup of coffee forgodsakes?
Whoa, I have to log off this thing and go to work. I have a concert at 10!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I do have those days, but not enough of them. Right now, I could use about three of those days to just get my new place in order.
Not gonna happen soon!
Ha!! I know what you mean. From a productivity standpoint, it's a good thing. At times I've been very grateful that I do have these "cleaning binges" where I get into this zone where I'm just a whirlwind of energy. I think it's a nesting instinct. And it's not always a bad thing.
Hey, I need me some of that productivity! Our house is a sty and I'm not the least motivated to clean anything. Want some of my laziness? :-)
Want to hear something interesting? In the book we're reading for my church's Buddhist group, it describes "overactivity" as a form of laziness - keeping yourself busy so you don't have to deal with real issues in your life. This really struck me as different. I hadn't thought about it, but I suppose there's some wisdom in that.
Having said that, I'm not all that fond of this book (_The Essence of Buddhism_ by Kyabgon) in general...it's very nuts-and-bolts/academic, without a lot of practical advice as to how to apply it to daily life.
Post a Comment