I went to the gym yesterday, then after dinner the kids and I walked to the library and the cupcake shop. By the time I got everyone settled into bed I was too exhausted to clean the kitchen, and my shin splints hurt too much to stand up anyway. So for the first time in a couple weeks I spent the evening on the couch watching t.v. – a recorded episode of Austin City Limits with the Decemberists (a lack of cable has returned me to my geeky love for PBS).
And just now as I think about how I spent my evening, I do not feel overwhelmed or guilty. I still had a basket of laundry to fold, and dishwasher to empty, and a kitchen to clean – but given the hard day’s work I had already put in, it just seems logical that I did what I could and rested in the fact that today I can finish.
This is a much different feeling from times past, when I shuffle about all day not knowing where the time has gone, and feeling stressed that I have so much left undone. I think I knew deep down that I was dragging my feet and allowing myself to be distracted.
I’ve been reading Proverbs lately, which is a book full of wisdom for the wise and warnings for the foolish. Here is what struck me in the last couple weeks:
The one who stays on the job has food on the table; the witless chase whims and fancies (Proverbs 12:11).
The diligent find freedom in their work; the lazy are oppressed by work (Proverbs 12:24).
A lazy life is an empty life, but “early to rise” gets the job done (Proverbs 12:27).
After resting on the couch, I just assumed I would get a second wind and be able to get up and do what needed to get done. But when Bryan turned in around 9:45, I decided to follow him up to bed and watch t.v. until I fell asleep. But who am I fooling when I think this? What usually happens is that I stay awake long enough to watch Sex and the City reruns at 11, then I might as well watch the beginning of Letterman at 11:30, and before I know it it’s midnight and I’ll be hitting the snooze button in six hours.
Well, last night my cable mysteriously went out when I went to bed (we have the very basic cable that gives us a clear picture for all 15 channels we get), so all I saw was static. It was just working fine downstairs, and this morning it’s working as well. But last night I think God must have pulled the plug to prove a point, because I fell asleep right away, and when my alarm went off at 6am I bounced right out of bed.
Today I have decided to stay home from the gym. I hope this doesn’t start a dangerous pattern of playing hooky the rest of the week, but it’s the first morning that my shins have not hurt, and I’d like to give them a day to completely heal. So if you think about it, check up on me tomorrow to make sure I made it in again!
Thanks for sharing this and your resistence to the gym. I have been feeling witless & lazy of late, so thank you for this. I tell myself (re: the gym…) that I only have to stay 10 minutes. Just 10…then I can run screaming if needed. Surprisingly, 10 turns into 60…somehow!