Idle hands.
I had a very relaxing weekend, something I haven’t had in quite a while. I spent this Saturday largely by myself, getting some quality alone time. I chatted with my housemates in the morning over breakfast. Then, I went out for a run. Although I got a bit overheated (I’m just not made for warm weather), it was wonderful to get outside in the sunshine. I came home, showered, grabbed a book, and headed back outside to soak up the sun while it lasted. I paused in my reading for lunch and to talk to some of my housemates, but otherwise, I continued until around five. I came inside to bake some cookies while listening to Ben Folds (who I saw in concert on Thursday, but that’s another story). After finishing with my baking project, I walked over to Walgreens and back to the house. I went back to reading. Meg came home, and then, I drove her downtown to meet some people. The view of the sunset over the Sound was amazing. I jammed to Green Day in the car on the way home and as I made dinner for myself (KNDD was doing an A-Z marathon of their music in celebration of their new album). I laid down on the couch in our living room, and I just enjoyed the silence and calm of our house. It’s shocking how much more serene I feel after such an enjoyable day. I read a bit more and headed to bed early.
Today, four of us headed out to the University of Washington to do some canoeing. The view of Rainer and the other Cascades from out on Lake Washington was unparalleled. We spent about an hour and a half on the water. Then, we went out on a dock to eat a picnic lunch. Afterwards, three of us took the bus to Green Lake and sat outside of a good portion of the afternoon. I left early, intending to go to mass at St. Therese. I got down there early, so I stopped for a cupcake at Verite. On reaching St. Therese I decided not to go in, because they were having their first communion service, and I was horribly underdressed. I came home and crashed, exhausted from walking around Madrona.
Although it sounds ludicrously boring, this weekend was blissful for me, and admittedly, it’s the first time I have been able to say that in a while. I didn’t have any obligations to anyone but myself: no applications, no visitors, no duties, no stress. I finally got back to the simplicity I’ve been lacking for so long both in my own life and in community life. We try to cram our schedules so full that we miss out on the beauty of a day alone or with a few friends doing nothing at all. The past two days reminded me of those days during college where we would just sit in the quad chatting about life or studying, some of my favorite times. Conventional society calls such behavior lazy, but God, there is so much value in slowing down to enjoy life. Too often, after a weekend packed full of useless movement, I find myself more exhausted than when it began. Rather than rejuvenating ourselves, we convince ourselves that constant motion is necessary and find ourselves a slate of activities. I’m advocating that everyone must take one weekend a month to be “lazy,” to buck popular notions of productivity and relax and recharge. Our outlooks might improve with such a requirement.
Today, four of us headed out to the University of Washington to do some canoeing. The view of Rainer and the other Cascades from out on Lake Washington was unparalleled. We spent about an hour and a half on the water. Then, we went out on a dock to eat a picnic lunch. Afterwards, three of us took the bus to Green Lake and sat outside of a good portion of the afternoon. I left early, intending to go to mass at St. Therese. I got down there early, so I stopped for a cupcake at Verite. On reaching St. Therese I decided not to go in, because they were having their first communion service, and I was horribly underdressed. I came home and crashed, exhausted from walking around Madrona.
Although it sounds ludicrously boring, this weekend was blissful for me, and admittedly, it’s the first time I have been able to say that in a while. I didn’t have any obligations to anyone but myself: no applications, no visitors, no duties, no stress. I finally got back to the simplicity I’ve been lacking for so long both in my own life and in community life. We try to cram our schedules so full that we miss out on the beauty of a day alone or with a few friends doing nothing at all. The past two days reminded me of those days during college where we would just sit in the quad chatting about life or studying, some of my favorite times. Conventional society calls such behavior lazy, but God, there is so much value in slowing down to enjoy life. Too often, after a weekend packed full of useless movement, I find myself more exhausted than when it began. Rather than rejuvenating ourselves, we convince ourselves that constant motion is necessary and find ourselves a slate of activities. I’m advocating that everyone must take one weekend a month to be “lazy,” to buck popular notions of productivity and relax and recharge. Our outlooks might improve with such a requirement.