Hanging Out in the New Year

I am hanging out today. That doesn't seem like much of a statement until I start thinking about how long it's been since I did it. This is the first time since August 28th that I have more than two weeks until there is an immediate deadline before me demanding my attention. There are of course Things To Do. I have things to read for the conference I'm going to this coming weekend, and stuff to take over to church for the person whose leading the service on Sunday, my room needs cleaning (um...the summer clothes are still in the closet!), I need to do laundry and think about what I'll pack for Friday...but there is nothing really pressing. There are no class preps, no sermon for this Sunday, nothing that says "Do it NOW!" I am at leisure. I could watch a movie, go for a walk (except the wind chill is minus 20), start reading Boom (I bought it with my Christmas gift card after Mompriest talked about it on her blog) , take a nap (well maybe later, it hasn't really been that long since I got up). Or I could do something really useful and put away my summer clothes and do my laundry and clean the bedroom.

Or I could do the hardest thing of all and do nothing! This is the point where paralysis sets in. I think sometimes this is why I stay so scheduled. So I don't have to decide, but can just keep moving. I like being productive and busy. Downtime is a little more challenging. Maybe that should appear along with those intentions somewhere, or maybe it already does. Being intentional about staying more unscheduled as a way of being self-nurturing and being compassionately curious about the anxiety that rises up when I am....

But right now I think I hear a closet calling me.....