If I had a blog, I would write about my Day of Sloth.

Lazy Summer Days

Last week, my ten year-old niece, Anna, was here. She and I are soulmates in every sense of the word, so her visits are more about two old friends catching up than me babysitting my niece. We rode horses, went rock-hunting, swam in the river, did chores together, and talked, talked, talked. I wouldn’t trade the experience for the world, but since I’m an amateur in the world of child-care, I find myself more than a little tired now that Anna has gone home. After a week of go,go,go, I restore my energy by treating myself to  a day of complete self-indulgence, which I call my Day of Sloth.

Technically, the word “sloth” refers to one of the Seven Deadly Sins (or to a charming, if slow-moving, South American mammal), but I figure I can afford a single day’s dalliance without risking my mortal soul or having moss grow on my my furry back, so yesterday I did a whole lot of nothing.

My day started with coffee and toaster waffles. I lingered at the table, enjoying the news on NPR. After a short run to town for groceries, I settled in on the couch and started “Castle Fest.” I love the TV series Castle and I have all five seasons on DVD, so my afternoon was set. I had an ice cream cone for lunch, followed by a peanut-butter-on-a-spoon chaser. I curled up with my full-body fuzzy-pillow and let nature take its course. I napped, and watched, and even did a little sketching. Even the weather conspired to give me a break from the labor of chores. It was cool and cloudy, so I let the horses stay out on pasture. They felt a little disenfranchised, but none of them are at risk of starving and it gave my back a chance to rest from cleaning stalls, lugging hay, and spreading sawdust. All I had to do was care for The Chick and The Duck and gather eggs from the Lady Hens. I could feel the cells in my body regenerating by the minute.

The icing on the cake, so to speak, was watching a good movie with my brother and sister-in-law. We had coffee, ice cream, and cherry turnovers at intermission, and a little wine to cap off the evening. Sitting in the cozy living room with David and Kindra, surrounded by our three big dogs, sharing a rare moment without to-do lists or deadlines, I felt utterly restored. I think a little sloth is good for the soul.