Relaxation 101
I am a champion relaxer.
Do you watch Modern Family? Joe and I are like Mitchell and Cameron in Hawaii. Mitchell is the Energizer Bunny of relaxation. He can’t do it. “Let’s go to the Lavender Ranch.” “No, thank you. I’ll be by the pool with a drink with the kids who are not at all interested in Lavender.” Finally, at the end of the episode, Cameron asks Mitchell to sit down in a chair, while a waitress brings him a yummy drink and someone rubs his feet. He relaxes.
It’s not so easy in my house. Even the promise of a fruity drink and a foot rub won’t instill the beauty of doing doing nothing in Joe. How often are we actually able to just sit and do nothing? I truly can not comprehend the inability to enjoy peace and quiet.
Unless the girls are climbing the walls, I very rarely feel like I need to be constantly busy or on the go.
We recently joined a local pool club. One of the greatest inventions of late is the kiddie wading pool. I sit on a lounge chair, the girls play in the pool. That’s it for activity. Do I feel the need to get in and splash with them? No. If they ask, I will. If I get hot, I will. Otherwise, I sit and relax in the sun. I haven’t quite mastered the art of reading a book or magazine while they play, but I’ll get there. I’m working on it.
Sunday, the 4th of July, we went to the pool as a family. Picture it – 3 pools (one is no deeper than a bathtub), ample lounge chairs, perfect sunshine. After 30 or so minutes, I could see Joe looking around.
“What do you want to do?” he asked.
“This.”
5 minutes later, “Do you want to do something?”
“Yes, this.”
10 minutes later, “The girls are probably getting antsy, you want to think about getting out of here?”
“What makes you think they are getting antsy? Their ear to ear smiles? Their constant laughter? Their refusal to get out of the pool because they say they are having too much fun?”
“I have stuff to do ay home.”
“Don’t even fucking say vacuuming.”
Silence.
“You can go and pick us up later.”
“No, but I just can’t sit here.”
“Well, we can. Come back and get us when you’re done being crazy.”
sigh…eye roll…finger tapping
We left the pool.
In his defense, we went back the next day, and he brought a book. He actually read some of it. I think he may have even enjoyed it. Most importantly, it was at least 40 minutes before he started getting the shakes and asking to go home.
Related posts:
Posted by LZ on July 6, 2010
Filed under: Daily Life, Love, Honor, OBEY, The Monsters
Tags:
Leave a Reply
-
Subscribe by Email
Shop!
-
Blog & banner design by
-
July 6, 2010
Twitter: sarahcasm
Oh! I can relate! “I have stuff to do at home” Ha! Always.
Sarah´s last blog ..Releasing resentment and assigning worth
Reply to This Comment
July 6, 2010
Hilarious, OMG! I’m so content with just sitting or swimming in the/by the pool. Same with my hubby. Especially on vacay!
Reply to This Comment
July 6, 2010
I love sitting and doing nothing
LOVE it. And luckily, so does my husband. My kids on the other hand… they still need to learn the joy of sitting and relaxing!
Corinne´s last blog ..Letting it in
Reply to This Comment
July 6, 2010
Twitter: azlb
so can relate. We just got back from vacation and I didn’t get to read one page of my book by the pool. We had an awesome time and it was my best vaca yet…but I am not sure what happened to afternoon naps and me getting to relax by the pool.
AZLB´s last blog ..Professional Hiker- Hulu girl- and Puka dog lover-
Reply to This Comment
July 6, 2010
Tim and I battle for who gets to relax since with Luke, it never can be both of us. One of us has to be on Luke patrol. Yeah, we both know how to relax, one of us to a fault. And that would be the one that rhymes with Shmaddy.
becca´s last blog ..“Am I the Only One” Tuesday – 2yo edition
Reply to This Comment
July 6, 2010
Maybe he needed a yummy drink and a foot rub!
Although, I’m probably more like him. I can sit and read a book, but I will still be thinking about all of the laundry I could be doing at home. Unless I’m on vacation, then I forget I have kids, let alone laundry.
Reply to This Comment
July 6, 2010
Twitter: CoffeesCommutes
You guys sound just like us! I can sit and do nothing for HOURS. If my husband sits for any length of time he just falls asleep. He’s NOT good a relaxing.
On a related note, how I wish there was a pool club to join here. Now that would make for a rockin’ summer!
Christine LaRocque´s last blog ..Kindergarten and big questions
Reply to This Comment
July 7, 2010
My husband is the same way!! I’m a lazy bitch, but he’s always doing something!
Suzy Voices´s last blog ..In Defense of Pain
Reply to This Comment
July 7, 2010
This cracked me up. I do not know how to relax- I cannot simply BE- I always need to be doing something. I drives my husband NUTS.
Reply to This Comment
July 8, 2010
I LOVE your blog! You had me at the phrase, “champion relaxer”
Sandy´s last blog ..The Writing Project that Changed My Life
Reply to This Comment
July 9, 2010
Twitter: janatude
My husband is so similar! Is it a guy thing? Antsiness? He wouldn’t be so damn antsy if there were beer at the pool, I bet.
Sitting by the pool sounds so fun. So does sitting at the beach. Sans kids. With a book…. Oh, I could expand on this, I sure could.
Reply to This Comment
July 11, 2010
I am all for relaxing!
Reply to This Comment