The art of staying in

/ Meg

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Yesterday, we stayed in.

All day. The whole day.

I didn’t even shower until 1 p.m., which is . . . well, it’s unusual, friends. Because since Spence and I married, thus blending our schedules, I’ve been forced to become a morning person. He gets up at 6 a.m., I get up at 6 a.m., you know?

(Well, “get up” is a relative term. I give him an ugly look before ramming a pillow over my face, then eventually rise to see him off to work. And then I pour my sorry self into the shower, so on and so forth.)

But Sunday was a lazy day. The weather outside was truly frightful, as they say, and I planned — planned, I say! — to make no plans. I got up early, plunked down to watch the Food Network, worked on a slew of crochet projects that have come in before Christmas. I made a real breakfast. I drank coffee in a ceramic mug.

I put my feet up. And I stayed there.

In the afternoon, we wrapped presents. Spencer worked. We cleared some space on the DVR, emptied the sink of its many dishes, read, cleaned, admired the tree. We burned a Christmas candle for 12 hours, watching the flame sink deeper until the evergreen wax. And we actually smelled the evergreen.

It was glorious.

I often think about the speed of life — how quickly it moves, especially at this time of year. We look forward to Christmas all year long, then find ourselves consumed by the many things on our to-do lists when we would really like to just soak up the atmosphere.

And I’m the schedule-keeper. Spontaneity is my enemy. I like to plan my time to maximize fun, if you will, which can often . . . suck the fun out of everything.

That’s a lesson long in the making.

After the chaos of wedding-planning, I vowed to focus on what truly matters this holiday — and to get many of our “must-dos,” like shopping, done as early as possible. I’m not a Christmas Eve shopper, zooming around the mall in a state of utter panic. That makes me feel like I’m going to have an anxiety attack. I like to get done early, loaf around, wrap stuff.

I try to find some real peace. To stay in the moment, and to learn to be still.

And I’m proud of myself. Really proud of myself. This year has running over with changes: both the big, sparkly, obvious ones and the tiny, personal shifts. The ones you can’t see at a glance.

Less flashy, but no less important.


10 thoughts on “The art of staying in”

  1. I’ve been making a concerted effort to do Christmassy obligation things (shopping, cards) way earlier this year. Last year I found myself rushing at the last minute, and that sucks every bit of fun out of it. I was indoors for the better part of Friday-Sunday afternoon, and it was GLORIOUS! I got a ton of things done AND still had time to be ridiculously lazy. Without IcePocalypse, it never would’ve happened.

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  6. I am all for staying in on a cold and snowy day. There is always so much to do and I am never bored. I see you feel that way too. Time to pick up all the projects. Enjoy life and relax – it is all too short. xo

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  7. This sounds pretty much amazing. I would love a day to just stay in and have ZERO plans but I tend to be an overplanner and am always on the go even when I don’t want to be!

    Just wanted to say I just found your blog tonight and am planning on keeping up to date with it. We seem to have a lot in common! Besides our love of books, I just married in October. I am also on a weight loss journey of my own. I started at 270 and am now between 152-155. I’m 5’3 and have a goal of anywhere from 130 to 140. I got down to 152 before my wedding, but after indulging on our honeymoon, have now been stuck in the low to mid 150s. It’s been incredibly hard but so rewarding. My husband and I met on MyFitnessPal, and lost weight by counting calories on there and exercising.

    I will stop rambling now, but I am super excited to find a fellow blogger who I have a lot in common with! Take care! 😀

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  8. Ahh, this post almost made me tear up with jealousy! I’m afraid we may not even get the tree up this year, which is bittersweet because I love Christmas so much!

    Next year, I think the tree will be up before Thanksgiving – especially since turkey day won’t be here, I won’t be disrespecting the bird.

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  9. I try really hard to not plan things on Sundays because I love having the day to myself to relax and feel caught up. It makes weekends when I do have plans on Sunday feel rushed! A book I was reading recently talked about how getting more satisfaction out of down time (ironically) involves making plans rather than just being adrift. So it’s important to plan to do nothing 🙂

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