My area is recovering from an ice storm this weekend; this past week we were under freezing for over 48 hours, and there was ice everywhere. Trees, grass, roads, etc. We were super lucky- no damage (though I did spend a lot of Saturday cleaning up tree limbs that fell due to the weight of ice!), no loss of power, just a few days staying snuggly inside. Which was great in some ways! Though to my dismay, snow (or ice) days as an adult aren’t the free-for-alls that they are as kids. Not saying that I don’t love my job, but I wouldn’t say no to a few days completely work and responsibility free!
What a few days of a freeze did do is leave me with time to think (I really didn’t leave the house for about 4 days!). I spent a lot of time thinking about how grateful I am, for even basics like heat and running water. And I spent a lot of time thinking about what I want- from spring fashion to how I want my days to look. Also, I spent some time thinking about ice/snow days- not necessarily the ones I had, but the ones of fantasy, the ones that are full of fun, reading by the fire, hot chocolate, and a sense of freedom.
Again, I cannot tell you how much I love my job, but I can also tell you that I need downtime as well. We live in a world, a culture, that leads us to believe that we are only “good” or worthwhile if we’re busy and productive . A lesson that I keep learning is that do be productive, I need rest. That rest is productive. When we were freezing, everything shut down, I still felt as if I needed to stick to my do-to list. And to be fair, there were deadlines that I needed to meet. Yet, I cannot tell you how much I wanted to give into the “snow” days of my youth- just forget about everything and have a good time. I’ve been wondering how we balance all that we want and need to do, and our rest and celebrating a bit of freedom. How do you do it?
In recognition of how I felt about it freezing, I’m actively attempting to schedule myself at least one day a week without anything to do. Maybe I won’t be by a fire or sipping chocolate, but I can give myself a day off. And with that day off, perhaps get more done? Besides, when was the last time we left everything behind and just enjoyed the day? Wouldn’t that be so good for us?
Wishing us all a week of above freezing temps but rest- and of course, amazing shoes! XO RA