Day Off

I have a day off from work
and there is a long list of things that I could do.

1. Do the pile of dirty laundry
2. Fold the clean clothes and put them away
3. Mob the floors and vacuum the rugs
4. Pick up toys, socks, clothes, shoes, books and straighten up rooms
5. Sort through closets, draws, boxes and give away items to the less fortunate
6. Clean the refrigerator and wash the dishes
7. Scrub the bathrooms
8. Go to the farmers' market and buy ingredients to make a delicious African dish for my family to come home to
9. Read and sort the mail and pay bills
10. Go running and catch up on my exercise
11. Sew and put up curtains in the dinning room
12. Update my social networking sites and read my emails
13. Call family and friends in distant lands and different time zones
14. Shop for new furniture
15. Catch up on weeding the garden and watering the pants
16. Get a head-start on the book that has been lurking inside my head for a couple of years
17. Look up a plumber to fix the slow drain and leaking faucet
18. Shop for a Sunday clothes for the children
19. Shop for a blue professional suit that I really need
20. Make a list and go grocery shopping
21. Put the bulletin boards and wall decorations up in the children's rooms
22. Write up the minutes and finish the newsletter for my women's club
23. Call the pstor to start working on the PowerPoint document for Sunday's church service
24. Take out my braids while watching a movie or two
25. Go window shopping at the mall
26. Call my husband to meet-up for lunch
27. Catch up on reading my library books that are coming due very soon
28. Write an entry for my blog
29. Go back to bed and catch up on my beauty rest

But none of my long list of things sounds appealing to me
so instead...


I will put on my walking shoes
and go for a long walk in the woods
where it is quiet and the energy of nature is awesome.


There, I will listen to the birds sing and the streams run
watch the trees and plants dance in the wind
and little creatures dash in and out of tall grasses.


There, I will sit on my favorite big rock
slip off my shoes and dip my feet in the cool running stream
and relish the peace and quiet---one of my very favorite things to do.


After all, that's what days off are for
doing your very favorite things.