random thoughts – Day 1,533 – (Thursday) – rebrand

The vacation week was initially spec’d out as a week of household effort. Plans were loose to nonexistent. Maybe thin some plants and/or add some new ones and trim the lilac now that the blooms have passed. Nothing major. Weather permitting, as in, if it was 85 to 90 degrees like last week, there would be the washing of the vinyl siding and fence. 

The very thick book for book club (452 pages) needed to be read. It's an award winner, which is a general classification that usually goes right over my head. 

The dining room table would finally be cleared of art supplies left there since March. Potential paint colors for the bedroom had been reviewed in advance and the paint purchase planned strategically to occur a day or so before the painting would take place.

The basic painting steps were already known, for the most part. Wall wiping and taping and basic paint application were all familiar from the painting of the kitchen and bathroom in previous years. There was research about wall preparation and painting lighter colors over dark which added steps to the process.

Instead of all the not-quite planned activity, the week has seen a lot of sitting on the couch, phone in hand, Netflix on the TV screen. Along with a headache that lasted several days, there has been a side portion of remorse about the time spent in idleness. Once I got home from dance class on Sunday I didn’t even leave the house again until Wednesday afternoon's Aldi trip. By Thursday, it occurred to me that it hadn’t ever occurred to me to go to the gym, and when the thought finally happened, it was raining and there was no desire to go, 

The week has been a lot of what I claim I will want to do in retirement, assuming that chapter happens. Loose plans that may or may not be executed. Minimal commitments.

The things that were done fell more into the usual routines. Sort of. The morning coffee, Wordle and Words with Friends, instead of taking an hour, took all morning, because they could. It was a great example of something learned in business management classes in college – “Work expands to fill the time allotted.” Some days the usual morning stuff expanded to fill the whole day.

The minimal level of activity expended has inspired a re-brand of the week. Instead of thinking of it in terms of what I didn’t do, it is now re-framed. The new theme is “rest and relaxation.” Under that standard, the week has been a smashing success, and there are still three more days available before returning to the workaday world. And still 245 pages to go to finish the book.