The importance of down time after a busy week

Living with rheumatoid arthritis for more than 45 years now, I've learned (often the hard way) to listen to my body's signals and to schedule some down time into my busy life.  When I don't I pay for it.  Through achey joints, fevers and colds/flu.  And sometimes, plain old exhaustion that causes me to head to bed immediately upon getting home from work.  Last week, I had a combination of work and social happenings Tuesday-Friday.  Most of it was fun -- working late Wedneday for a focus group I helped coordinate, then bringing my friend Sue home on the bus and eating dinner with her before I headed home; on Thursday listening to my friend John (Sue's husband) play guitar at the Midtown Global Market in south Minneapolis with a group of friends; on Friday, attending my second bobblehead game (Minnesota Twins vs. Arizona Diamondbacks) with my friend Tom. 

Saturday was my lazy day.  My PCA has the weekend off, so there was no needing to get up early because of her work schedule.  So, I slept in (9:30am is now late for me.  A sign of age that I can't sleep past noon any more), read for hours, took a hike up to the library for more books, stopped at a nearby watering hole for an early dinner and then back home for more reading.  The only work I did was to wash a load of dishes.  Today, there's nowhere I need to be again.  But, Sunday is laundry day.  I did manage to fit everything into one load (yes!). 

I'll also cook dinner later on.  It's time for me to try something new -- cornish hen along with some oven roasted vegetables.  As usual, with a new ingredient, I've compared recipes and will invent something as I go along, Thinking of a soy/apricot glaze with some garlic and ginger.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

Yesterday's lazy day did me a world of good though.  I'm feeling rested and ready for another week at work.  One more week and then I have the whole next week off work on vacation. I'm not going anywhere, just sticking around home.  I am trying not to fill up every single day with activities, but to give myself some days where I can sleep in, be lazy and just bum around and be spontaneous.  And read.  Lots.  I can't wait!