“A body at rest remains at rest until…”
I woke up with that grade school scientific nugget in my head. I had just slept for 9 hours for the second night in a row. I’m officially on bed rest. Also, couch rest, chair rest, tub rest, and any other things one rests on.
It’s my post holiday detox. The flurry of activity, food and booze has dissipated. No longer am I just steps away from a Christmas cookie. No one is around to casually stroll over and fill my wine glass up. The fortnight party is over. And the guests have gone home.
Although I still have my lights up, any other celebration semblance is gone. For the last two evenings following work, I’ve bunkered down in my house. Chicago has slipped into single digits temps so I’ve slipped into the hibernation zone. It’s funny how having no plans makes me sleepy. Once my boots are off, I unwind quickly and completely.
Last night, I watched DOWNTON ABBEY with a grilled cheese and soup in my jammies. I had my Christmas lights on. And Jenny gave me these wonderful Irish peat incense sticks. When lit, they smell like our ancestral countryside. One sniff and I’m breathing in the chimney smoke coming from a cottage in the rain. I had the full sensory experience going on. It was the bomb! The DA season premiere was meh but being home in solitude was lovely.
I like a life bustling with activity. I love to eat, drink and be merry. Still, there is something about January’s dark, quiet coldness that appeals to me. It perfectly arrives right after two months of excessive work and play. And I let it wrap around me like a soft down quilt. It’s my resting time. Although I have made some plans this week, next week I really only have potential jury duty on Tuesday so far. And that’s just fine! Not the jury duty, I don’t relish fulfilling my civic obligation. I meant the unscheduledness of life. I can be a body at rest and remain at rest until…