the art of doing nothing

in many instances, people in other countries have the right idea. in many places the community grinds to a halt around lunch time. people don't live far from their offices, so they head home to take lunch - a healthy meal, an entire meal - and then enjoy a little siesta at the height of the day. later in the afternoon they return to work, ready to tackle a few more hours of projects and finally return home for a late dinner. maybe i have a too-vividly painted picture of life as described in my head; perhaps it isn't all it seems cracked up to be. but i think it is worth studying a bit more. take my weekend vacation, for instance. for many people, this is all there is. a couple of long weekends here and there and that is the time off for the year. is there a chance they're overdoing it? probably. one thing i am sure about is that four days of being at the lake is a tease; life slows, siestas are taken, and just as quickly as life readjusted to cabin time, it is time to get back on the plane and back to reality. it was so good while it lasted, though.



the lawn was in need of a mow when we arrived, but before jimnerd could get to it with the mower mom and i picked handfuls of hawkweed (devil's paintbrush) to put in the kitchen for the weekend. we also found a wren's nest that had blown out of a tree. the breeze was kicking off the lake and there were whitecaps on the water. at about 65 degrees, it was a cool day but full of bright sunshine and no humidity - a perfect late spring day. storms had rolled through the area the night before but there weren't any branches or sticks to pick up. mom and i headed to the luck co/op to find some delicious organic and locally farmed treats, then to the grocery store for necessary evils like m&m cookies and beers. jimnerd mowed the lawn, and when we returned from running errands the place looked ready for a party. good thing.




these little guys arrived the next day for the big birthday bash - three birthdays were celebrated. the weather stayed beautiful with a passing rain shower thrown in to keep us honest. more than a couple of crossword puzzles were attempted, along with some croquet playing. a good number of folks indulged in napping in many different locations. i opted for the quiet of a back room in the cabin, but others were spotted snoozing in lawn chairs and rocking chairs. the day was completed with some frenzied three-year-old fishing and i polished off my first half-beer since october 21. in case you were wondering, it was delicioussssss.



other highlights of the weekend included a short two-mile run on monday morning. the humidity was creeping up and i returned home a sweaty mess, huffing and puffing, but happy from my run on the cabin road. i spotted more wildflowers on the run and heard woodpeckers in the early morning sun. each morning i awoke to the sound of loons, a ruckus, unlike their typical more peaceful sounding calls - they were laughing and calling to one another, even in the middle of the night. i spotted them a number of times, swimming out in the bay off the dock. dad and jimnerd put the little motor on the rowboat and we put-putted around the bay and a bit further to see the shoreline and what had changed since last year. the pontoon was in the shop for its new seats, so this was the only boat ride option for the weekend. the slower pace was nice, and as we hit a couple of waves head-on i could almost imagine we were in a bigger boat instead.



i was happy to get away and smell the fresh air and see the farmland on the drive in and hear the loons calling. it was the most relaxed i have been since my trip to florida. back in march, i still wasn't feeling so hot from surgery and the warm weather and sunshine was just what the doctor ordered. this was more of the same, only i am feeling stronger than i had been back then. i am happy that i spent four days without feeling any sadness - except when it came time to leave on monday morning. when i was a little kid, i would cry and cry when the plane took off down the runway after a trip to minnesota - i had such a horrible feeling that i was heading back to something that wasn't as good as it seems there.

this time around i knew i had to leave, and of course i have a scan on monday, which is definitely not as nice as being at the lake or driving around the lakes in minneapolis imagining living in the beautiful homes there. but it is life, and it is what i have to do in order to have control over my life and know what comes next. i am planning on three months more before another scan. i want it so badly. i want to have a little more time in between hospital and doctor visits and carry through on some plans - another trip to the lake, maybe some camping, a trip somewhere else to see friends... who knows. but today isn't the day to worry about things like that. part of the art of doing nothing is accepting the things i can't change and not letting them run my life. there is always time for a nap, for eating a bit better, and for having loved ones in life. the other stuff will fall into place.