Yesterday I took a day off. My daughters would laugh and say, "A day off from what? You don't work." Since they are still in the time of their lives when a typical job takes up five days a week, a day off to them just means you don't go to your place of work. When you don't work at a typical nine to five job, a day off means an entirely different thing.
Taking a day off when you don't change the venue means you have to change the day. My day usually consists of some form of exercise, which is important because my job involves a lot of sitting and shoulder hunching. Next I incorporate thinking and inspiration time in my day because being a writer and an artist requires a lot of ideas that can't be conjured up instantly facing a blank page or canvas. Another potion of my day involves education. Since I am new to the crafts of writing and illustrating, I need to spend countless hours hunting down knowledge. Being alone in my house all week involves finding ways to connect with other artists and writers to learn from and broaden my own horizons, so another part of my day includes correspondence – writing and answering emails, etc. In addition to all those parts that must be attended to, I must actually sit down to either write or draw. When a project is finished, next comes the season of publishing and marketing. So you can see, that although I don't venture out to a place of business or school of any type, taking a day off is just not a matter of staying home.
My busy Sunday and Monday prompted my day off, in fact, kept beckoning me to take it, but because my projects are laid out here, at home, all around me, I wouldn't listen. Sunday and Monday involved going to Boston each day for different things, and going to Boston for anything is a twelve hour day, no matter what you're going up there from the Cape to do. I don't like my weekly routine messed with and had every intention of getting back into my normal routine yesterday as quickly as possible. Tuesday morning was going to be back to yoga and I'd be off and running. So I thought.
I woke up and was still tired from my two day city adventures, so I decided no morning yoga. I'll go at night. I planned to get up and get a big piece of work done and be ready to go relax in yoga at night. I sat in my rocking chair and planned out in my head what I was going to work on after coffee and breakfast, but when the time came my body didn't move. And so it went with each thing I attempted throughout the day. When it came time to go to night yoga, I got my things together and just knew this wasn't going to happen. The biggest thing I did all day was take a shower and that was a lot of work.
All day, not moving, not even opening the door to go out and get the paper, I sat and actually felt my blood pooling all over my body and moving like slow river on a summer day. You know that commercial where they say a body in motion stays in motion and a body that's still stays still? There's truth in that.
It was so NOT me on a Tuesday that I was beginning to worry that this flu thing might be attacking me. I decided to wait until today to see if things improved on the movement front. Thank goodness this morning I was up and dressed, ready for fit club. After an excellent workout I really felt my blood moving fast through my brain again. On the drive home the ideas for the next part of my illustrating project came with full force. It was a full day, ending with Writer's Night Out tonight. Body back in motion.
Sometimes your body just won't move. It's telling you to take a day off. Take it out of motion. Rest. Relax. Do nothing. Nap. Read something that doesn't educate or have anything to do with work. Drink tea. Meditate on your breath. Let the body that's still, be still.
And so, as another day goes by, there's time enough tomorrow to set things back in motion, and….I have written.
Photo: Mine – View from my chair – subliminal message?
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