And that brings me to my subject today, one I am pulling out of my ass as I sit here at my keyboard, frazzled and frenzied and wondering what the hell am I going to write about: Time.
More precisely, making it. Taking it. Appreciating it.
We get so caught up in what must be done that sometimes we forget about those things we want to do. Kim Vandervort's post last week about summer reading is a good example of what I want to get done, and that I'm neglecting.
Skychair time.
Reading time.
They are easily forgone because of the must-do-things life is currently bogging me down with; and because I am so bogged down, those wants get shoved further and further into the back seat. I've given myself up to those musts. As the saying goes, All work and no play makes Jane a dull girl.
You do it. We all do. I bet you're doing it today. Responsibility should not be shirked, but neither should we sacrifice ourselves completely. So this is my battle cry to you all: Do something for yourself today.
Breathe.
Enjoy.
Don't just take the time, appreciate it.
The moment I finish this post, I'm going out to the skychair without my laptop, even though I have an edit to finish. I'm going out with the book I've been trying to read, because I'm really enjoying it, and I deserve thirty minutes before running off on the next errand to enjoy it.
So what I want to know from you, right here-right now, is...
What are you going to do for yourself TODAY!
If you leave it in comments, you must do it; you will do it! There's magic in that. I promise.
11 comments:
So after a 3AM errand, I decided to splurge and stop and get a coffee and a cinnamon roll.
(Unfortunately, in the long time since I've visited that coffee shop, they've changed the size of their cinnamon rolls. Instead of a 4-inch roll, I got something the size of a DINNER PLATE. No one needs a cinnamon roll that big! So I'm gonna treat myself on that all week ;o))
I hadn't actually planned to do anything for myself until Friday, and then I'll go out and have a breakfast after I pick up my daughter from work at ::groan:: 5:30 AM.
But, perhaps, tonight, I'll see if I can get to bed an hour early. That would be a really nice gift to myself, indeed.
I was going to meet with my sister for coffee this morning, but that plan got sidetracked by unforeseen circumstances.
This afternoon I will write, which could be interpreted as "work" or as "something for me". I prefer the latter interpretation, but keeping in mind the former helps me balance writing with other important "me" things, like family. And exercise. (Speaking of which, if the weather clears up by the afternoon, I will also go for a walk...)
Great post, Terri. Thanks again!
JK--three in the morning?? What the heck were you doing out at that hour?
And look at that--you decided to treat yourself to that cinnamon roll and got a whole week's worth of joy out of it. Woohoo!
Janice--yay! You're here!
Sleep. Yes, sleep is a gift we can give ourselves. Good for you! Now DO IT!
Karin--two very good things for YOU. And for me, because the more you write, the sooner I get to READ! :)
Today, I finally satisfied the cupcake craving that has been plaguing me for days. Cookies and cream cupcake + iced coffee = happy camper
Barbara...that sounds divine! Oh, yum.
A while back I got to the point where writing felt like work because I always felt guilty about it. At first it felt like stealing time from the things I should have been doing. Then it turned into something that I ought to do well at or I couldn't justify the stolen time. I started to hate the whole thing.
Finally I got to the point where I realised I was a wife, a mother and I worked hard at my job. If I wanted to write in my time off that was fine. And it was fine if I took a bubble bath instead. All of a sudden my writing took off again! It was self-imposed guilt that was killing me. So I am a big fan of pampering!
Penelope, as a career mother of four, I hear you! I worked hard, 24/7/365, and still do even though they're mostly grown. When my youngest started school, I dove into writing as full-time as I could--being when the kids were at school. It had to become a priority, and sometimes I did feel guilty, but that was dumb, so I let it go.
And you're right--the guilt over NOT writing vanished too if I wanted to have lunch with a friend instead.
Penelope, as a career mother of four, I hear you! I worked hard, 24/7/365, and still do even though they're mostly grown. When my youngest started school, I dove into writing as full-time as I could--being when the kids were at school. It had to become a priority, and sometimes I did feel guilty, but that was dumb, so I let it go.
And you're right--the guilt over NOT writing vanished too if I wanted to have lunch with a friend instead.
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