Rest for the Weary

I was able to take the morning off yesterday, and in the days leading up to this half-day vacation my mind raced with possibilities.  What could I do that I could not otherwise do in my hectic life?  What would be most pleasurable?  What would be most restful?

Since I was weary, the last question dominated my thinking, as did one answer: absolutely nothing.  Rather than being more aggressive or creative, I opted simply to return home after dropping the kids off from school, pop in a Bach CD (Brandenburg Concertos and Orchestral Suites), and read a book cover to cover (Steven Johnson's absolutely delicious "Everything Bad is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter).  


Being able to sink into a good book, a good classical CD, and no other noise or movement in the house, was simply decadent.  I dozed off for a spell in there, and spent the last 30 to 40 minutes of my morning in silence before God, not so much praying or even listening so much as being quiet.  (Can't say I gained any thunderbolts of insights from this, but I was definitely happier for it.)  


Alas, it was time to put my suit on and get downtown for a lunch meeting, followed by a crazy schedule of meetings and of checking in with staffers on impending deadlines.  But even through the hustle and bustle, the calm of the morning put me in a good mood throughout.  I definitely made note to deploy my vacation days like this more often.