My grandmother used to have a magnet on her refrigerator that asked, “How are you feeling today?” and showcased a little cartoon face in a range of illustrated emotions. It came with a little square frame that you could place over the face you most identified with for the day. I always made a point to put the frame over the faces I found particularly hilarious, like “hysterical” or “lovestruck,” while I poured myself a glass of chocolate milk.
Today I found myself thinking about that magnet while I assessed my current mental state, which is hovering somewhere between exhausted and overwhelmed. With a quick Google search, I found a poster version of that magnet on Amazon, and now that I’m all grown up I’m less than surprised to find exhausted is the first emotion in the lineup.
The thing about owning a business (especially a retail and service one) is that weekends are a privilege, not a right. Sometimes you sneak in a good day and a half of downtime, and other times you’re lucky to get five hours. This past weekend was one of the latter, following a busy week. I worked late Friday night, had to be back at the shop at 7AM on Saturday, and dragged myself back home after 6PM that evening. Sunday was filled with family time, and by the late afternoon I couldn’t peel myself off the couch and away from Gossip Girl on Netflix. Stick a fork in it. Done.
My sweet husband gave me the morning off to sleep in and recuperate a bit, and now that I’m at the shop I’m taking advantage of a slow summer afternoon. Usually when I’m here, I’m in full work mode — making to-do lists, working on projects, making extra arrangements, etc — but today, I’m giving myself permission to enjoy the downtime and be a little lazy. Eat-chocolate-and-catch-up-on-my-bloglovin’-feed lazy.
That to-do list can wait until tomorrow.
What do you think?