I have a hard time sitting down. I think it’s genetic. Really.
James and I always chuckle when we remember a time when my mother had suffered a back injury (no, the injury was not the least bit funny, just the story that follows!). She had been told by her doctor in no uncertain terms to stay off her feet. No walking except when necessary. No standing for extensive periods of time. And absolutely, positively NO LIFTING!
How to relax? Find ways to be lazy and put them on your to-do list!
Find ways to be lazy and put them on your to-do list!James and I stopped by her home one Saturday afternoon for a visit when we found my mother in the kitchen, bent over a low cabinet, rearranging her pots and pans.
“MOM!” I yelled as I ran to wrestle an especially heavy cast iron pan from her hands, “You’re supposed to be sitting down!”
My mother, a woman who was known for her hustle, her bustle, and her endless list of to-do’s looked at me incredulously, sighed with exasperation, and gestured emphatically to the place where she stood: “I AM sitting down!”
I know the feeling. When you’re in the habit of moving constantly, standing in one place can feel like a rest. And if you have a to-do list that is constantly calling to you to move, move, move, you may actually feel a bit guilty about stopping, even for a few minutes. You might confuse resting with laziness. Relaxation with sloth.
Well, if this describes you, I have a bit of a work-around for you. You know what a work-around is? In the world of computers, if a program is not specifically designed to perform a specific function, there are ways you can sort of trick it into performing that function.
So to all my just-can’t-seem-to-stop-for-the-life-of-me friends out there, here’s your work around. Put “Be Lazy” on Your To Be List. Yes, you heard me right. Set your goal: be a lazy, good for nothing, unaccomplished slug. And do it well! Get out your to-do list and write down what you are going to do To Be Lazy. Here’s a sample list:
- Sit on the couch and read (10 minutes)
- Sit on the porch and watch people walk by (5 minutes)
- Lean on the kitchen counter and stare out the window (2 minutes)
- Look at the piles of laundry and bills; shrug, sigh, and smile (30 seconds)
Yes, my overachieving Brothers and Sisters, you too can enjoy the pleasures of laziness by scheduling it in to your day. And did I mention you HAVE TO enjoy it? That’s another thing to check off your to-do list:
- Enjoy the idle pleasures of simply “Being lazy”
