My winter went off the rails when I spent the holidays contending with a rare occasion of deadline writing. Some writers create their best work with a deadline looming near at hand. A few writers can only generate prose when the clock is ticking down.
I am not one of them, and I hope in the future to avoid that sense of, “This book must be done by the end of the month or else.” I got it done, and it’s a good book, but the process was Not Fun. Then January continued the Not Fun theme with foul weather, a visit from the norovirus’s more persistent cousin, and the extra house work that comes with foul weather and many pets.
February was just as slog. I overcommitted myself at the therapeutic riding barn in terms of hours and days per week, and I am also in the Dunning-Kruger dip as an instructor–the place where you admit this gig is more complicated, stressful, and demanding then you realized, and holy Ned, your ignorance is vaster than you imagined.
My barn schedule will be lighter going forward, and I have the first week of March off from all horse duties. The writing schedule is in a good place (waves to Lord Julian), and the weather is moderating. I have a window of days to rest and refresh, and by gum, I intend to make the best of them!
For me, part of R&R means going back to that old, elementary school basic: Playing outside. I still have a few bulbs I can stick in the ground, I have a yard full of windfall to clean up. The point is: Go OUTSIDE. Get some Vitamin D the way nature intended, touch dirt, re-connect with my tiny patch of paradise.
Another part of a re-charge is wearing play clothes. There’s office attire, courtroom attire, barn attire, and, for me, slack day attire. Into my slack day attire I will go. All very soft, loose, warm, and comfy stuff. The play clothes wardrobe somewhat assumes I will avoid socializing, which figures near the top of the agenda.
If I tackle some house work, I will start on my bedroom upstairs, the place where I put the day aside and literally rest, or where I go to read in quiet with Madam Travis the Cat purring beside me. The big chores that result from winter wear and tear on the house probably won’t figure on the list. Those I will do weekend-by-weekend as spring progresses.
And I will read. I will go upstairs earlier than I have been (Travis approves of this part of the plan), and after a couple days of sleep-in-if-I-want-to, I will set my alarm to get me up with the sun.
None of this is complicated, but I still need to be intentional about it, or I will go down You Tube, housework, research, and socializing rabbit holes, and my week to rest and recover will be gone before I know it.
How do you put the court in recess after a compression phase?
After a hectic period, I always return to knitting and sewing (I make almost all my clothes, including coats) in company with an audiobook. Totally restorative, especially with a large mug of hot, strong tea with milk. Can’t get enough of Lord Julian’s escapades!
Fortunately, we are in late winter when there is thankfully less snow shovelling and no spring garden cleanup on the horizon for another month at least.
Touch fabric. My sister swears by the same remedy!
I need a down day!
February was a short but awful month.
Snowstorm #1 brought about 20+ inches of snow.
Husband hospitalized for 5 days
Daughter moves out
Snowstorm #2 brings 31 inches of snow and plow guy ghosts us.
And I have to go into the office 6 days/ month.
Made my office days
Plowing got done and we hired a great guy to help us dig out for an oil delivery…we are at less than a 1/4 tank. Oil coming tomorrow.
I have a ton of housework to do today. Am hoping to read this afternoon or watch a movie or maybe take a nap.
And smile because Spring is coming!
Sue, what an obstacle course! I know you will miss you daughter, and I hope hubby is on a road to recovery. As for the snow… spring IS coming. Hats off to you for persisting in the face of one challenge after another!
The day is for me and not the other way around!
This is the motto I’ve created for myself to remind me what is (or should be) the real priority in life. Most useful related to the household chores that as you know are never ending and always demanding.
I wake up in the morning and a dust bunny says “hello” to me? I say “The day is for me and no the other way around!”… Although sooner or later something must be done but the idea is to prioritize ME instead of the to-dos.
The day I’m cutting back from barn shifts is Friday. In March, I will try to make that a house chores day. It’s an experiment. To some extent, every day is a house chores day, but I’ll try aiming the bigger jobs for that designated day and see if some of them actually get done. I’ll report back…
I don’t get compressed much these days. The only thing I’m agitating about is whether to trade in my beloved Jeep Liberty for something newer with all the bells and whistles I scorn. It even crept into my dreams last night.
I’m like Pat DuPay and don’t have “compressed” times very often. I am fully committed to being retired and mostly do what I like (that means reading). I did watch the Olympics and am now taking advantage of my special circumstances Apple TV subscription to watch all of the episodes of “Ted Lasso.” I really like the show and though it has more seriousness than I expected, there’s a lot of laughs, too. My partner has been having a not-so-good February that included an ER visit and his internist and podiatrist where they’re trying to decide whether he has a skin infection or his gout has returned (probably the gout). He’s in pain and I can’t do anything to help and it’s hard for both of us (him more, of course). Mostly I try not to stress him too much (he doesn’t take well to hovering) and only ask how he’s doing once a day.
I’m on a real holiday right now – cruising the Hawaiian islands and being spoiled by delightful people cleaning my room and serving me delicious meals.
When I return to the “real world” in a week, I’m determined to finally pull out my fabric and get started on my next quilting project rather than reading the day away.
I spend time in cozy clothes, in bed with tea and a book. After a couple of days of excessive rest, I do actually feel much better. Alternately, sometimes I want to do a bunch of things for myself when my kids have had high needs and mine have had to, by necessity, be put aside. That can be yoga followed by coffee with a friend then browsing at the library etc etc all day long that is busy but leaves a smile on my face. The random day that doesn’t hurt to be outside in the winter is a boon to be used in taking a walk in nature and there aren’t a lot of situations that that won’t help.
Court adjourned on a low note in February. We decided to spend tonight in the closest big city (population 56,400) stay in a hotel, eat junk food and pick up our fringe foods at Costco, Trader Joe’s and Walmart before heading home tomorrow. Being away from home helps make the exercise more intentional. And it’s silly fun.
Twisted my knee in the blizzard. So darn it, I have to sit, read and watch baby animal u tubes and laugh, a lot.
Did get my winter seeds in plastic cups with holes in bottom and top, in soil. Now resting happily in the snow, cold stratification doing its thing. They’ll germinate when their ready. My kind of gardening. It felt great, albeit cold, getting my hands in the soil and seeds out of their pretty packets.
Now I can just read, without guilt and heal 🙂
I wish you a very restful break, Grace!
I feel some of your pain. In fact, I think I’m ready for 2026 to be over. At the end of last year/beginning of this year, my daughter’s marriage imploded. (Next week would be their 10th anniversary) It’s been a very stressful and contentious process for of of us. The good news is that my son had ordered an engagement ring for his girlfriend. Something positive to look forward to–yay! Only he ordered it from a company in Israel. They’ve put all work on hold, but are hoping it’ll only be a delay of 2-3 weeks. How do I cope? I read and reread your books!!! Julian and the Windhams help a lot. 🙂