Sunday, November 30, 2008

Whistle While You (Don't) Work

Yesterday was a day filled with running.


To the library to pick up some ordered materials. I made a supreme effort to stay away from the shelf of "new books" or gravitate over to the rack of movies. Pick up the ordered book, audio tape and get out of there.


To a yarn shop that is closing to check out the sale inventory. I know the gal who owns the shop only slightly, so I took more time than I had allotted myself to chat with her. The sale yarns boggled my brain with their wide array of simply gorgeous colors and textures. Pattern books more than I could page through. My mind was spinning so after I made a small purchase, I promised to return as soon as I could come to wise decisions on just what parts of her going-out-of-business inventory I really had to carry home with me.


To a local craft show to lend support to daughter where she was selling her hand-crafted wares. Before I even made it to her table, I ran into three people I hadn't seen or had the opportunity to visit with in too long a time. Once I made contact with daughter, I went to seek out something for her to drink as she was parched from chatting with customers and too busy to leave her area. Then on to a quick perusal of the other vendors before making a couple of calls on the cell phone to arrange a later meeting with son-in-law.


Back home to make a quick lunch after stopping to gather up our huge batch of mail (yup, it's catalog season all right) at our box out on the road.


Leaving home again and a stop to pick up son-in-law and then a half hour drive down the road with him and husband to take in a commemorative presentation of a local historical event that took place 50 years ago yesterday. Very interesting, and it provided a sense of community that we need all the more these days.


Stopped back at the craft show on our way home to help daughter take down and load up her merchandise. Our timing was good . . . she was just finishing up the chore.


To a local eatery for conversation and burgers with daughter and son-in-law. Even though we had been together just two days ago for Thanksgiving, it seems there was plenty to share and catch up on.


Back home to do evening chores and decide it was too late to start in on anything except some light computer work and perhaps read in front of the fire.


So, my dear blog readers, I have to ask: Why does a day like yesterday leave me feeling like I've not accomplished a thing or done any "work" at all? And why is that bad?


Would I have felt better had I spent the day at home doing my ironing, or cleaning and sorting my shelves of over 100 cookbooks that have been a dusty, unorganized mess for longer than I care to admit, or attacking the area that is to be our someday-greenhouse but currently seems to be a catch-all for all manner of garden tools, pots, planters and such and a dry storage area for lumber being accumulated for who-knows-what future building project?


Point being . . . just what IS my point? Oh, sadness and woe, I think it is that I feel I have to accomplish a task or job or do something that qualifies as WORK before feeling I've paid my dues for the day. By spending a day in the way I did yesterday, some part of my psyche whispers in my ear that I've fluffed off, wasted the day, failed to use my time wisely to accomplish something. (#%$*!, it's that dratted misplaced work ethic rearing it's ugly head again!)


Well, I'm gonna fight it. Not only is it time to start doing more of what feels good to me but to do it withOUT guilt. That, right there, should be my WORK for the day. My work will be to make myself a happier person by enjoying myself, entertaining myself, pleasing myself, connecting with my true self. As long as my actions don't have a negative effect on anyone else, why would that be wrong? I will work on doing more of the things that feed my soul and thereby energize me. And I'm hope, hope, hoping that will make any and all "work" I (have to/choose to) do one heckuva lot easier. And, good news, I should be a more pleasant person to be around, too!

7 comments:

Chicken Mama said...

If you want to talk 'Wasted Days', try this on for size: I took in $131.65 yesterday. I spent $115.00. That means I made $16.65.

Can you say EMBARRASSED?!

Although, with the exception of $10 to the Girl Scouts for a BEAUTIFUL 'Candy Cane' Poinsettia, all the things I bought WERE Christmas presents. (Ah-hem: $90 of which were X-mas presents for ME!)

Oi vey . . . .

(NO buying for me at NEXT weekend's art fair. Just SELLING, SELLING, SELLING!) Maybe I can recoup my losses.

Mama Pea said...

Well, that settles it, Little Girl. At next weekend's art fair, your mother will be sitting next to you handling your cash box. And you know how tight-fisted she can be!

Chicken Mama said...

It's a deal! Apparently, I need it! Maybe you can talk to A about being my "over-seer", so you don't have to drive all the way out. ;)

Jim said...

Mama P,

Repeat after me: "I am retired. So is my spouse. We've done our bit. We've raised our kid(s). There's still a lot of good we can do in our troubled world, but we've earned the right to a little rest and a little fun." Keep chanting this until you believe it!

- Jim

Mama Pea said...

Oh, Jim, thank you, thank you, thank you. Blessing be upon you, oh, wise person, for laying your healing hands (figuratively speaking) upon my frazzled and addled head. I shall be better now. Amen.

"I am retired. So is my spouse. We have done our bit . . . Ohmmmmm." :)

RuthieJ said...

Hi Mama Pea,
I've had days like that too--where it felt like I wasted an entire day just "slacking off." But looking back on the day, I always felt that I had re-connected with the real world and enjoyed all the stuff I usually miss by staying home and working on that "to do" list. (plus all the chores are still patiently waiting for me at home!)

Mama Pea said...

Ruthie - You and Jim have given me really good advice that I'm taking to heart. Your phrase "reconnecting with the real world" rings true. Thanks. :o)