I love my weekly day of rest.  I enjoy it so much that C suggested I take two days “off off” most weeks now that I am retired.   That intriguing idea hasn’t been coming together yet. 

Six days each week I exercise; plan, prep, and eat healthy food, clean house, and work on my task lists.  My plan has been that if I knock out all of my noted daily tasks ahead of schedule, I would take an extra day off except for the exercise and food.  I still think it could happen eventually…

My six days are less hectic than when I was working.   For example, when I go for a walk, I’m rarely rushing to get back to tasks.  Now I take a pair of binoculars, and if I hear an interesting bird, I can take an hour to seek it out.  A highlight of this week was finally getting a good look at a Brown Creeper.

On my productive days, I like immersing myself in the tasks, whether a project in the garden, organizing a file or shelf, or researching tax laws and how they might apply to us.  When I get into the flow, I sometimes spend hours on something,  and then don’t accomplish everything on my list for the day.  Lists for future days get longer, as only one day each week is assigned the imaginary but sacred “off off” stamp.

In Alaska this summer, I rarely even took one day “off off” using my personal definition of a day of rest.  For me, a true day off mostly consists of sleeping, drinking hot tea, playing games, watching birds, and reading. Occasionally, I may garden or go for a stroll, but on my day off I putter rather than work towards a goal. I enjoy vacations and being in Alaska,  but it is harder (maybe impossible) to completely unwind for an entire day.  By the time we returned to Virginia, I was craving rest and now feel balanced again.

 For those more extroverted than I, my day of rest might sound excruciatingly boring rather than restful!  It is important to me, but I would never impose it on others.  I feel a bit guilty writing this post as I know I am blessed to be able to take a weekly day of rest for most weeks of the last 40 years.

Happy New Year!