Saturday, May 25, 2013

Just Rest! Ok...But How?

"Just rest, Greg," I said to my teenage son as he stood in the family room one Friday evening texting his friends about plans for the night."

He shrugged, sat on the edge of the couch, picked up the remote control, and began flipping through the twelve hundred digital cable channels.
  
I continued with my cleaning compulsion of bending over and picking things up like socks that didn't find their way to the laundry basket and papers that didn't find their way to the World Lit. homework bin at school. I choose to save my responsibility lecture for when my son, Max, returned from wherever. No sense hearing myself rant twice. (I am so glad those days are over!!!)

"I don't like resting," Greg said before he reached channel seventy-something.

I looked at him in disbelief. "You left for school at 6:45 in the morning and worked at the Y after that. Aren't you tired?"

"Nope," he said as he switched off the TV and headed for the shower.

"Do you want another tour of the bathroom? I think you forgot where the laundry basket is." I said.

Greg smiled. (I'm glad one of us did.)

I was reminded of this conversation last Saturday when my doctor came into my hospital room and told me I'd need two weeks of rest before resuming my normal activities. At the time it sounded good. My neck and throat were sore from the thyroidectomy he performed on the previous day and I felt groggy from the feel better drugs dripping into me from the IV. However, by Tuesday I found myself repeating Greg's words, 'I don't like resting.'

If I had the choice of spending a Saturday in a chair at the beach or one kayaking along the coast, I'd choose kayaking. The number one thing on my list of things to do when I travel to the Big Island of Hawaii is to climb Mauna Kea, the tallest sea mountain in the world. I enjoy resting for short periods of time, but two full weeks of no driving, working, physical activity, etc. seemed like too much.

I do, however, believe in allowing the body time to heal, so I adhered to my doctor's advice. What did I do?


I took naps whenever I felt a bit tired, even if they only lasted five minutes.



   I made time to remember my dreams when I woke up!



I contemplated about important issues while I looked out my living room window. Things like why do leaves flutter in different directions when the wind blows and why do leaves from the same branch fly in various directions when they are released from the tree? I knew I should have taken physics.



I read Gone Girl in 48-hours—the ultimate woman scorned revenge book. Wow! I will also be buying Gillian Flynn's other two novels, Sharp Edges & Dark Places. I love finding new authors who really know how to tell a story.



I traveled to the Hawaii on the Internet and made plans for when I go for real.


I nearly completed draft one of novel two.



I watched Doctor Zhivago from start to finish. 
Surprisingly, I never had watched this movie before in its entirety. 
Wow!


I watched bits and pieces of the Today Show and learned why they've gone down in ratings. 

Opinions on this are welcome.



 I turned off the Today Show and welcomed the quiet.



    I cooked.
Maybe that doesn't count as resting,
but it certainly was relaxing.



 I watched Life of Pi for the second time.
I definitely prefer the tiger story.
How about you?
This question will reappear on Kick Back Moments within
a few weeks, so watch the movie or read the book,
if you haven't already.



Resting is a lot more fun than I thought.
By the time my two weeks of healing are over, 
I have a feeling I will have mastered the art.
 
 
How about you?
Do you prefer resting or moving?
 
In other word, when you first step foot on the beach, do you head for the chair or the water?    





5 comments:

  1. Peggy, I'm so glad to hear your feeling like getting busy again--a good sign. Geez, if you were this active with a bad thyroid your going to be superwoman now!! This was a really great post.

    Hugs, Micki

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  2. Thanks Micki!!! Except for a sore, swollen neck, I am feeling much better. ...And I really am enoying the R & R.

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  3. This is a great post! I'm happy to see you blogging, Peggy!! Let your talent shine!! Well done!

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  4. Peggy, Glad you are on the mend. My answer to your question about resting is: "it depends." I love to sit in a chair at the beach but it's not to rest, it's to observe: the people, the water, the birds, And I love to ride the waves too.

    Just watched"The Life of Pi" on a transatlantic flight and so wished I had seen it on the big screen. Richard Parker was so beautiful... I'll take the tiger story.

    I think I am like you when it comes to rest. I enjoy the moments like first thing in the morning, when I am alone with my thoughts or a book, but after that, it's all movement. And all of my vacations involve moving too.

    I have this idea that the end of our lives will be a forced rest period, so I better go for the gusto while I can.

    Feel better.

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  5. I very much enjoyed this post Peggy! Keep healing, and when they make you stay away from everyone for a week after that pill, enjoy that time too!

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