Saturday, June 28, 2014

Sleepy Saturday

Crank it Up!

Bring on the lions!” I cried.
But there were no lions. I spent every day in the company of one dog and one cat whose every gesture emphasized that this was a day throughout whose duration intelligent creatures intended to sleep. I would have to crank myself up.”
Annie Dillard (The Writing Life)

Some days, it's hard to crank oneself up to do much of anything, even get out of bed. I have friends who think nothing of staying in pajamas all day, of being lazy and idle, of “getting nothing done” except to eat a pint of ice cream because that's all the fridge has to offer and they don't want to get dressed to make it better. I envy them. I seem to be constitutionally incapable of doing that.

When I think back through the long history of my life, I can't remember a single person in my ancestry who had the ability to be lazy and idle. Not one. It's a curse. I come from a long line of burned-out workaholics. Sad, but true.

One of hazards of doing anything for a long time is operating on auto-pilot. You get up, you go through the same routine as every morning, and you wade into the day as though it were a muddy swamp. You can't move too fast, or you'll get sucked down. Coffee helps, but not too much coffee. That makes the electric buzz of white noise in your ears so loud that you can't hear yourself think. And the fact that you're not thinking anyway matters not in the least.

Hey, I hope you are a person who knows that sometimes, you need a break. That some days are made for being lazy, for not getting dressed. We all need a “no-goal-day” now and then. My goal for today should be to do as little as possible, but just writing that on the page makes me jumpy. I'd better get busy. Enjoy your weekend!

                                            In the Spirit,

                                                  Jane

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