I feel that I have to explain why I am doing this. "This" being: writing about my month long pursuit of greater stretches of sloth than I normally manage. Even among my friends and colleagues, my slacker lifestyle presents a paradox. I am often made fun of for taking naps, seeing movies, getting massages, riding my bike and otherwise not working in the middle of the day. However, these same people who give me shit almost always say something to the effect of "I want your life!" I think this series of blogs is my way of saying: You Can Do It! You SHOULD do it! If there is some aspect of another person's life that you envy, that is something to examine. I don't mean envy of a possession; that's too basic. I mean, if there is a quality to someone's life that you think you would like to emulate, but you don't know how, or you feel like you "can't" do it for one reason or another, I urge you to look closer at whatever rules are governing whether you "can" or "can't" do it.
In short, I'm saying, if the idle life seems attractive, you should join me.
Today-- Mondays in general-- aren't usually very mellow. Even if my work agenda isn't full, I have a regular list of things like catching up on email and doing my finances to do. I am often surprised how much time it takes to do what you would think would be simple things to run your own biz. Pay bills, manage my health insurance bullshit, track invoices, balance accounts in Quicken, etc. This has nothing to do with me actually making money; it's just attending to the details of my company/life. I dispensed with those items fairly quickly today (though not as rapidly as I would have liked) and then, anxious to begin my experiment, deliberately closed my email and moved to my armchair for some reading. I have been a single parent for the past 3 days while my woman was in Santa Fe, so I was frazzled. I read a few issues of Entertainment Weekly and then decided that what I really needed (ta da!) was a snooze.
My son woke me up 3 times last night and my daughter once. No emergencies, just wake ups and shout outs in the middle of the night. Always fun. My daughter inquired why her CD player wasn't working. It was 2 am. I got through all that and a morning full of temper tantrum land mines. Now, having taken care of my mild agenda, I felt I deserved a nap. The thing about naps for me is that no matter how delicious I find them, I cannot completely shake the shame or guilt of taking one. It doesn't cause serious self esteem issues, mind you, but because of the shit I take from friends, I feel a little like a slug. A worthless non-contributor. "How To Be Idle" addresses this-- the pervasive societal ethic that we have to "do" a lot with our days and our lives. That there is something more substantial and worthy in working than in relaxing. The book is instructing me that I need not feel guilty for spending time dozing or in aimless pursuits; in fact I should feel proud of it! I am rejecting the idea that one "has" to work 8, 10 or 12 hour days. I think that's rubbish (unless you really love your job). I want to spend my life doing things that I want to do! Those things include being a committed parent, which is quite hard work by itself; running a solid business; practicing mindfulness for my spirit and exercise for my body; AND... lying around when I can!
The nap felt good, by the way. I needed it. I was awakened at one point by a phone call, had the conversation, and went right back to dozing. The best part of napping is when you are disturbed by some noise, become faintly aware that you should think about getting up, and then, decide against it and catch more winks. In that moment of giving yourself the gift of more daytime sleep, life is truly wonderful. I slept til a little after 4, tied up some loose ends and headed home to make dinner for my kids and see my wife. There was a litany of domestic chores to conquer and now, I stand ready to meet Tuesday, which is a more open day for me. More idling. More free time. I have no agenda to speak of tomorrow, other than working out at some point.
I'd like to share more anecdotes and thoughts as the month goes on and I would love to hear from you, too. Please email or comment if you have something to say. Until then... go ahead: Be Idle!
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1 comments:
Great post, I love it! They say nap's extend ones life. There are times at the office when I would go out to the car and have a 20 min snooze and go back to work. I often find those breaks better than another cup of coffee. Although a snooze AND a cup a coffee will allow me to talk on the phone and work on the computer at the same time...whooooo!FTW!!
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