The Art of Procrastination

So, yesterday. . .I did nothing. Nada. Zippo. Really, I'm not lying. I sat on my comfy couch with my decaf coffee and read. . .ALL DAY. And boy, do I feel guilty about it.
  
Not because dust bunnies are still hiding in hard to reach places. Not because the dishes didn't get done, the floor swept, the front steps shoveled or the book cases dusted. My guilt hangover comes from the fact that I didn't write. Not one word. And I had the house all to myself.


How crazy is that?


I had six hours of nothing. . .of peace and quiet (no kids running around, no dog howling...yes, mine likes to "sing" in our backyard) and yet, I zoned out. But man--despite the guilt this morning--it felt so freaking good. No pressure to get that word count in, my blog written or tackle anything on my endless to-do list.


So, I started thinking. Is down time (or what we like to call procrastination) always a bad thing? We like to think of it as the evil of all evils. But hang on a minute. . .is it really?


My answer to that question is no. Sometimes I need to take a break, to slow down, to not push so damn hard. I don't do it often or for very long, but I need it. To shut off my brain for just a little while and disappear into the ether. To let someone else's story take me away, out of my own. It has nothing to do with avoiding my work. . .honest, it doesn't. What it is about, however, is giving my battery pack time to recharge. About coming back refreshed and excited.


So, tell me.  Do you let yourself take a break every once in while?  Because, when you think about it. . .procrastination becomes an ART FORM when used to shovel more fuel into your engine, helping you come back stronger.

Stylish Blogger Award

Not quite two weeks into my blogging life and I've received an award. Wow, I'm loving the blogosphere and all the great bloggers in it.

So, a big shout out to Heather from Pen, Paper, Lots of Coffee for awarding me the Stylish Blogger Award.  Thanks a ton!  

Ah, but what, you ask, did I do to deserve such an honor? Well, not much, really. I just came out to play. Regardless, let me share with you how it works. In order to accept the award, I have to do a couple of things.

1.) Thank and link back to the person who gave the award

2.) State 7 things about myself

3.) Pass the award to 15 recently discovered bloggers

So, here goes. . .7 things about me.

1. I'm a diehard chocoholic.

2. I love museums. I could spend hours wandering around the exhibits. . .art, history, it doesn't matter. I love it all.

3. I was a goaltender on an all guys hockey team right through my University years.

4. I'm a big sports fan.  Any sport will do (yes, even curling. . .pathelic, I know), but I especially love hockey and NFL football.

5. Call me crazy, but winter is my favorite season.  I love skiing, snow shoeing, skating. . .okay, you get the picture.

6. Thunderstorms are one of my favorite things.

7. I still sit down everyday at 4 p.m. and have a cup of tea--a throwback to the times I spent with my Scottish Grandmother.

Now, time to pass the award onto 15 ultra-deserving new bloggers.  And they are. . .drum roll, please.

Angela Scott (Whimsy, Writing, and Reading)

Tanya Reimer (Life's like that)

Laura Diamond (Diamond, Yup Like the Stone)

Tracy Buscemi (Forever Endeavor)

Raquel Byrnes (Edge of Your Seat Romance)

Kristal Lee (Romances Where Love is Magick)

Michael (In Time ...)

Rachel Morgan (Rachel Morgan Writes)

Misha (My First Book)

Rachel (All the World's Our Page)

J.C. Martin (Fighter Writer)

VR Barkowski (VR Barkowski: A Writer's Blog)

Autumn Shelley (Magick, Alchemy and Love)

Michelle Merrill (Perfecting The Craft)

Liz Fichera (Liz Fichera's Blog)

Congrats to everyone and thanks again, Heather!

     

Beware the Road Ahead

You’d think on this day (of all days) I would write about love. About the force of it. The need for it. Its healing power. How those we love add depth to our lives and enrich our worlds.  

But, no. Not me. There isn’t a fluffy sentiment to be seen around here.

What, you say? No candy. No chocolate. No diamonds or cards?  

Nah. Today, I have something more important to chat about. Potholes. Yes, you heard me right, but just in case, I'll say it again. POTHOLES.

The little buggers always start off small. . .so unthreatening you hardly notice them at all. But as time passes that innocent looking scrape becomes a crack. The crack turns into a tiny hole then a big one until one evening while on your way home, driving the same route you always drive and. . .whammo! You’re ambushed. The casualty? Your right front tire.

Now, you’re hobbled on the side of the road (swearing because really, the experience wouldn’t be the same without an explicative or two) and you’re thinking. . .“Oh, crap, I’ve been hit! Where the heck did that thing come from?”

Well, my friend, it was always there--festering on the once pristine asphalt. You just never noticed the gap was widening.  

Relationships are like that, aren’t they? The bumps in the road sneak up on us. All the small stuff accumulates into bigger stuff until, yes, damage is done. Sometimes, it’s irreversible. Most of the time it isn’t. The pothole can be fixed, the pavement repaired and love endures. . .with some work and a whole lot of understanding.

So, this Valentine’s Day vow to make appreciating your partner an everyday thing, instead of a once a year occurrence. Pay attention to the condition of the road and, I promise, you’ll see potential potholes coming from miles away.

Hmm.  I guess I lied. . .the sentiment was there all along.