One of These Days

I’ve decided that one of these days I’m going to take a day, probably a cold, dreary and rainy or snowy day, and do nothing. 

I won’t get dressed, choosing to stay in my pajamas and bathrobe for the day. I won’t walk my dogs. I won’t exercise myself. And I will do whatever I feel like doing, which is most likely spending the day reading, with a bit of television thrown in. Maybe I will listen to music. I will probably turn off my phone and avoid my computer. Maybe I will make some soup or a pot of chili.

I wish there were a way to turn off my brain, to put it into neutral for a day or at least for a few hours. 

I read something recently that said autumn is the season to rest. Plants go dormant. Animals get ready to hibernate. The world takes it easy as it prepares for the long, cold, dark winter ahead. 

Humans have lost the ability or the willingness to take it easy. Autumn in the US is filled with holidays -- Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hannukah, Christmas and New Year -- that keep us busy.  The concept of slowing down and resting seems to elude many of us. There is always so much to do: calls to return, e-mails to read, houses to clean, errands to run, dogs to walk.

Last evening, I made a point of slowing down a bit. I made some wonderful almons shortbread. I then enjoyed some of my creation along with a cup of hot tea.

Monday and Tuesday this week are supposed to be very cold and windy, with a good chance of a 'winter mix' of rain and snow. That sounds like the perfect day to stay home with my dogs.

I think we would be well served to again listen to the rhythms of Nature. We should try to recapture the rhythms of our bodies and the world around us. These rhythms served our species well for hundreds of thousands of years. 

Maybe it's time to listen to our bodies again, to let our bodies and our minds rest.