I was going to name this post “All Work and No Play,” but on consideration decided that that might conjure images of a really crazy Jack Nicholson, which would be regrettable.
And anyway, I think I’d rather examine the idea of play all by itself.
It’s my Ladybug Week again! As Sarah was saying recently – a planned time to step away from all Etsy stuff before it totally overwhelms me, to step back and get some other stuff done, to relax and not worry about things like business: Sort of an every-seven-weeks vacation.
Now, I’ve always had trouble with the idea of play and recreation – an occupational hazard for someone whose work is what they love: I like crafting – but should I stop making stuff this week? I love writing – but having just finished July’s CampNaNoWriMo with a lot of hardcore writing time, should I take the week off? What do I do instead?
I came up with a very depressing list of things To Do every day this week:
- Yard work for 2 hours – weeding, digging, bug control, etc. – even if its 90 degrees outside.
- Attack the mending pile.
- Clean and declutter an increasingly chaotic house, for 2 hours.
- Study really hard for 2 hours, to get back into regular schooling.
This excellent program is probably something I actually should do some week, to kick-start several projects that need doing. But, while it would be different work from Etsy-listing and novel-editing, it would be anything but relaxing and restful.
What makes this Ladybug Week harder is that, 1) I feel like I didn’t get that much Etsy-work done in the last few weeks, and 2) CampNaNo gave a lot of momentum to my writing that I don’t want to lose. However, 1) I did manage to establish a routine of listing a new item on my shop every day almost – and that’s quite the accomplishment, if you think about it! And, 2) I generally find writing very recreational.
I was telling my helpful sisters about all of this, and that helped me realize that I should make this time off into a restful thing and not fill it up with extra stressers and hard labor. I do need this, to put myself back together or keep from falling apart, to get some perspective, to refocus on where I’m going rather than floundering about, and to enjoy some random things!
So, here’s an actual list of the fun things I want to do this week:
- Put some music on my phone (which is smart! yay!)
- Create some art, which I began last year. It’s time to bring it together!
- Sew a purse for myself out of some very fun Parisian fabric (again, I’ve had this project hanging around for a while, and it’s a little daunting – so it’s the perfect time to take it on!)
- Figure out and blog my goals for the month
- And blog about what our theme this month will be (spoiler: it’s gonna be fun!)
- Watch some “Daredevil” (probably while sewing)
- Continue writing – this chapter is exciting!
- Play some Taptiles and other games
There you go! It still looks busy – but it should be fun rather than arduous work! Bonus: the New Mexican monsoon season has begun, so it looks like it’ll be gloriously stormy for the next few days.
What are your plans? Do you have any fun-and-frolicsome ideas that might spice up my relaxation?
-Abigail-
Ribbons in Our Hair 