Sense of Accomplishment

Recently my cousin and discussed lazy summer days.  They're wonderful, but they can also be treacherous.  Because I do teach, I am lucky to have my summers off.  Technically I do not have to wake up in the morning or be anywhere at a specific time unless I have made plans for myself (granted, all that ends when I start teaching summer school tomorrow, but we'll just forget that minor detail for now.)  Therefore, I find that I have the whole day to myself.


Nice, but also tricky.  Yesterday I awoke at 8 a.m. and went downstairs to veg-out in front of the tv for an hour or so before breakfast.  As I walked into the family room it hit me:  What do people who are home with nothing to do all day long do it?  How do they not go crazy?  Understand, I'm not saying having a week or two or a few days here and there to just do absolutely nothing isn't wonderful and necessary.  It's important to recharge your battery after a while, but damn, after that, get off your ass and do something!  I sat there feeling lazy, lathargic, unenergetic, and bummed out.  I had nothing to do all day long.  I had no reason to wake up so early, no plans with people or somewhere I had to be, absolutely no reason for the day, and it was almost depressing.  I had to do laundry and lesson plans for summer school, but because I was already so sloth-like, getting those tasks done felt like a mountain to climb.  They seemed impossible, and, needless to say, I didn't accomplish much of anything.


I changed that today.  I woke up and hit the gym…with a little necessary inner-dialogue argumentative push, I might add…visited my chiropractor and then came home, had breakfast, and showered, all before 9:30 a.m.  Then I sat and finished lesson planning, manually hooked up our wireless printer (accomplishment in and of itself, mind you, and definitely worth a little happy dance at the end), and answered all the emails I had let pile up on my computer, all before *drum roll please* NOON!  It was 12:15 and I had accomplished SO MUCH that morning.  I felt alive, I felt happy and energized, and best of all, I felt like I had a reason for being up today.  


It's amazing how much your mental state can change even after just finishing seemingly trivial things like laundry or emptying the dishwasher, mowing the lawn or taking the dog for a long walk.  These things give you purpose, a reason for being up and who you are, and they help to break up your day.  Inactivity and seeming to lack purpose in your days can lead to depression, even if it's not something from which you or anyone in your family suffers.  It's a nasty little bugger who sneaks up on you unexpectedly, keeping you down and immobile.  Beat him at his own game.  Get up.  Wash the car.  Meet a friend for coffee or lunch. Put together that picture book you've been putting off for months or take the kids to a park and read a book.  Just do SOMETHING!  And then smile.  You accomplished something today.