Homebodies - Balance between purpose and play
- Details
- Published on Saturday, October 31, 2015
By Rita Friesen
The Neepawa Banner
It almost never happens, but the other morning, I slept in. Really slept in. The dogs and I had made ourselves comfortable around six thirty, and the plan was to laze about, dreamily for a little longer. Nine forty-five is a little longer! Probably didn’t help that it had been a busy several days and I had been up till midnight baking cookies! (Why that late? That’s when I had time to do it!) The morning espresso had seldom tasted better.
As I enjoyed the coffee and gazed out the window, last night’s eerie images remained with me. The full moon was casting muted shadows through the fog. My old familiar maple tree appeared menacing and huge. Even the fruit trees were dancing skeletons, far taller than reality allows them to be. All those thoughts had flitted through my mind, but such stuff does not make for sound sleep! In the warmth of the coffee and the cuddles of the pups it was much safer to review and dwell on the wild beauty of a foggy night!
It felt like my day was in arrears. I have become an earlier riser, spending time playing scrabble online with family and friends, using all five of my candy crush lives and catching up with my sister. Her morning is my evening and so we frequently exchange thoughts and emotions first thing and last thing of the day. But I also need to play outside with the dogs. Well, they need to play and I need to get thirty minutes of outside stuff done. Getting caught up with the garden and yard maintenance means I have to look a little harder for a half hour task. This particular morning, I messed with recycling. Do all the items I carefully sort and tote to drop-off points make a difference? The only ones I am certain of going where they ought are the pop cans that end up with the Scout program. (They appreciate beer cans as well, but my offering there is very limited!)
It takes less time to tidy the house than it used to, and even that will become simpler. Somehow, even with eating fewer meals at home, there are always dishes in the sink. How can that be? But two minutes clears the counter. A quick walk through assures me that all the piles of paper, my filing system, are all in order. Someday I will find a better way of keeping track of all my stuff. Or have even less. As I reflect on the later start, I guess I have to ask myself this question – did/does it matter? My work ethic side shudders as I hear me say – not one whit! But my older, tired side applauds! Balance between purpose and play. Will I do it again? May it be so.
