Electrolicious

I spent the first half of unplugged night having dinner with my old friend Hott Scaapala Scott Haapala, and we spoke of cyborgs and corporate costumes and didn’t glance at our cell phones once.

After we said our goodbyes, I made a cup of tea and sat down on the couch with Sassafras. I had a magazine to read, but didn’t want to. I rubbed Sassafras’ belly and just sat quietly.

Andreas came home a while later, and walked into the living room.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

I looked at him. “Just sitting here,” I said.

And I smiled.

Fuck yeah for hibernation season. I’ve got a nice quiet routine these days, what with Mondays spent working on offbeatbride.com, Tues-Wed-Thurs at work, and Fridays focused on relaxing and being my own trophy wife. I wake up without an alarm most days. I take the dog out for a walk every morning at 8:30 and every night at 5:30. I drink a lot of tea. I take naps. My commute is the easiest I’ve ever had. I’m lessening my compulsive need to answer every random email I receive. There’s a blanket and two pillows on the couch, and I let the phone calls go to voicemail.

This laziness is hard earned. I’m trying to break out of my well-honed habit of keeping myself super busy as a technique to avoid thinking about anything bad.

My pattern typically goes something like this: Busy! … ZOMG, SO STRESSED! Slow down? Aww: depressed. GET BUSY! (repeat)

As far as mind-fucks go, it’s quite productive. But the result was a state of chronic anxiety and (even worse) not much satisfaction from what I was accomplishing.

Last year, I started making a concerted effort to do less, and enjoy it more. Tentatively, I’ll say that it seems to be working. After several years of pushing myself and all my projects as fast and far as they could go, I find myself contented to work part time, aim low, and sleep a lot. I’m in an energetic trough, and it feels awesome down here.

Is it a good sign or a bad sign that this morning while chanting Om during yoga, I managed to thoroughly drool down my chin?