I’ve been very good at being completely unproductive. It’s taken some discipline to be this undisciplined. For the last week I have done almost nothing. I haven’t even done some things I though I’d want to do, including blogging. Also neglected was attempting a cheese soufflé. I am determined not to feel guilty.

Will and I’s Christmas present to each other was originally to go on vacation. No unwrapable presents, just time off together. As Christmas neared we were feeling especially tight on money and decided to make it a staycation.  Our mutual gift was to stay home between Christmas to New Years.  We couldn’t quite resist giving each other gifts.  Neither were wrapped so I think it counts.

Will made me a separate winter commuting bike with studded tires. We had almost all the parts except a chain and a brake so it fit the budget. I absolutely love it. In this particularly snowy December it has saved my ass a number of times.

For years Will has lamented that we didn’t have a table cloth or placemats. I found vinyl placemats and cork coasters at the Arc thrift store. Then I Mod Poged old maps of our memorable trips to make a sentimental table set.

My real present to both Will and myself was to not fill this precious time off together. More than one friend (that I don’t see often enough) asked if I was free to hang out. Well, kinda, but not really. It was also not a time to get a gazillion chores done. It was definitely not a time to nag Will to work on any projects. Most importantly it was a time to sleep in and lounge in bed each morning feeling that anything or nothing could happen that day. More of nothing rather than anything happened. I’d like to applaud myself for sleeping until 10am and staying in bed past noon.

Rest is important. It gets immensely overlooked, yet it is so stink’n vital.  As always it’s about balance.  Some people are so excellent at resting their drive for action never snoballs.  I love action, and plans, and goals, and I love to-do lists. Sometimes it’s all got to stop. Sometimes I have to get off the “Just Do It.” train.  Rest is the negative space of life. Just the right amount of nothing makes all the other things brighter.