“Just relax,” they say. I always look confused. Relaxation baffles me. There’s nothing peaceful about it. I watch commercials with that lady in the bubble bath with the candles and the wine, and I get twitchy. I’d like to be that lady, but the reality is that by the time I actually got into that tub, I would have scrubbed it, taken the dirty rags to the laundry room and noticed I hadn’t folded the last load of laundry, switched out a load, put the towels away and noticed I had run the tub over because I forgot I started running the water.
Today I decided to do the unthinkable: light some candles and soak in a deep tub with bath salts and candles.
I actually made it there without running over the tub. So the tub wasn’t even full yet, and I was wondering why I didn’t think to bring my phone into the room so I’d know what time to get out. I heard the dryer buzz, and then remembered that I needed to sweep the floors and make the beds. No, I already made the beds, whew!
“Relax,” I told myself. Then I remembered the essays I was supposed to finish grading before class. “Stop it!” I demanded. Then my leg started twitching. I may as well wash my hair, I thought. Then I won’t have to do it later.
By the time I got out of the tub, dressed myself, and walked back to my office at the bottom of the stairs–I know you’re jealous–I had driven myself into a frenzy. I had only ten minutes left before my next class. Those papers don’t grade themselves, and now I had only ten minutes. Sure the salts smell great, but now I’m stressed out trying to play catch up.
I’m just not meant to linger in luxury I suppose. My luxury is in the kitchen cooking, or even washing dishes while I hum a favorite hymn. That’s who I am, and that’s okay.
…and that’s the view from My Front Porch.
I smiled wide as I read this. My relaxing involves working on or completing a personal project like building bookshelves (my current goal over winter break) or something artsy that uses my hands and my mind but in a way that is different from my daily demands. That is my retreat. My husbands idea of a vacation is intense touring of something historical. Our children won’t call our trips “vacation” they call them “field trips” and one child in particular is on the other end of the spectrum. She, although not lazy in her work, enjoys the slowing down of relaxing with no ajenda. I find the greater challenge of relaxing to be understanding how to blend the different styles and needs for rest within our family. How about you? Do the others in your family “relax” like you?
Oh my, no. I have five sisters who find the beach very relaxing, but the youngest one is more like me in that she works a lot and loves to cook, even when on vacation. You’ll find both of us in the kitchen more often than not. She loves to try new things, and I like learning from her. I tend to wind down to some television shows: decorating and cooking along with a few who-done-it dramas. Todd says even my television watching–my relaxation and winding down mechanism–makes me think up projects.
I used to could relate to this and then I got old!
Now I can’t even get into the tub and have to hire someone else to come and clean it. 🙂
I kind of like that idea, Shirley.