downtime

Wonderfully lazy day yesterday. :-)

As part of my personal New Year's Resolutions, I've started purposely scheduling in relaxation time. I realize how silly this sounds, the idea of regimenting downtime, but these are the depths to which I stoop in my quest to Simplify My Life.

I confess: I have problems relaxing. If there was a "I Can't Relax-aholics" group announced in our local paper, I'd be joining. I've improved over the past year; it used to take a real physical effort for me to even sit down and just read a book for pure pleasure (not work-related). Selling Inkspot and my stint in Philly didn't help...a combination of the corporate environment and my lack of social life resulted in my slipping into the habit of working 12 hours a day (later on, this experience helped develop my Woodpile Philosophy).

My stress level skyrocketed, I slept poorly, ate badly. Not a good scene.

After Inkspot was shut down, it took me months to get back to a semi-normal state of mind. "Normal" is also a relative term; for years, even before the whole dot-com mania, "normal" was still pretty high stress. While that may be an acceptable and even desirable state for some, I'm seeking a quieter existence.

I took a walk the other day and forced myself not to multitask. I used to revel in being "Queen of Multitasking". Online, for example, I'd usually have a half dozen applications open. While waiting for one page to download, I'd be answering business e-mail, doing research, updating a database. I'd always have my cellphone with me when doing errands outside, a Walkman, my Palm...the prospect of being stuck in a post office or line at a bank with nothing else to do horrified me; I would rather have endured getting a filling at the dentist's office without anaesthetic, or be forced to watch all the episodes of Temptation Island back to back.

On my walk the other day, I left my cellphone (and all other electronic devices) at home. The difference was amazing. I actually started to notice my surroundings again...the buildings, the people, the weather. I was aware of the weight of the knapsack on my back, the cold wind stirring my hair, nipping the end of my nose. And when the clouds on that blustery day parted briefly, the warmth of the sunshine on my face brought memories of summer, and a promise of an eventual spring. Everything seemed more clearly defined, the colours and textures somehow enhanced.

By now, some of you are inevitably thinking, Wow, she's got some great drugs in that inhaler she's on...where can -I- get one?? :-) I know all walks won't and can't be like that particular stroll, and I will still multitask on some (one thing I do enjoy is using my cellphone on some walks to call my father, Ruth, or friends I haven't seen in a while).

But it was definitely an eye-opening lesson for me..that it's good to learn how NOT to multitask all the time.

I did some reading yesterday, went to the St. Lawrence Market (ok, so it was partly work-related since I needed to research an article, but I enjoyed myself at the same time), took a nap, hung out with Jeff, practised harp. I also started writing a song based on Charles de Lint's book, Memory and Dream (one of my favourite de Lint stories). It had started out as a Tolkien song, but mutated. :-)

In the evening, I met Luisa at Ampeli, a Greek restaurant near Danforth and Pape. We lingered over dinner for nearly four hours, just talking about everything and nothing. It was a wonderful evening. :-)



Blatherpics

- A somewhat disturbing window display for a clothing store at Danforth & Pape. :-)

- Ampeli, the Greek restaurant where Luisa and I had dinner last night.