Lazy is seen as a bad thing (often by me) but yesterday I decided to try it. Maybe the word has negative connotations and that’s why I avoid it. Maybe it’s my personality. Maybe I just haven’t figured out the trick to smart laziness. To being mentally quiet. To doing more with less.
My kids are often telling me that they need “down time.” I usually see it as just wanting to play on an electronic device or not do chores around the house. But, as I was watching my children yesterday, they seemed relaxed and totally enjoying themselves. They were being lazy, having fun, talking and not worrying about homework or getting to the next activity. I’m thinking that lazy people don’t fight and likely don’t have stress-related heart attacks. I’m pretty sure that lazy people don’t start wars — so what’s my problem with being lazy once in a while?
As I was relaxing yesterday, I started thinking about how I could do less but still be productive. We’re multi-tasking every day but are we really being efficient? If we make every action count, send fewer text messages, be more clear and concise with our verbal communications, could we still have the same impact? Could doing less mean doing better or even more?
What about doing less buying and shopping (says the grocery store addict)? Maybe we can get by on less and just have the things that are really necessary.
How about less managing of our kids and our lives? Maybe if I did less for my kids they would be more creative and independent (although they are pretty creative and independent already – but you know what I mean!)
I could do less talking, you know that kind of fill-the-space talking and allow more silence into my life (this is the meditation piece I stink at!). Sometimes, it feels good to sit in the car with my kids in silence just looking out and taking in the world.
We can definitely do less complaining and use more compassion, kindness, understanding, accepting and loving behaviors.
I could do less worrying (I am the queen of worry) about the future or things that I have no control over. I could work to be more go-with-the-flow!
So, in my laziness yesterday, I worked less (I am on vacation after all), I worked out (my way of relaxing), I didn’t plan our dinner, I fell asleep in the sun (sadly, without sunscreen), I let the kids do more of “whatever,” and I went to bed early. I did, however, think about this blog and how I could incorporate it into my life when I get home.
Since I’m still a work in progress (!), maybe this vacation has helped me see that we all can do a bit less, but more efficiently, which could give us more time for ourselves and with the people we love.
Hope you all have a relaxing (lazy) Sunday!
theyearof50 