Perfecting the Art of Laziness

Recently I was lucky to start the New Year with 10 days on the beautiful island of St. John in the US Virgin Islands. Each time we go to St. John, we rent the same place; a cozy little cottage called Sea Spirit that consists of a small bedroom and bathroom with an open air shower, an open living and kitchen area, a pint-sized loft tucked under the tall ceiling's eaves, and a wrap-around deck outdoors. We love Sea Spirit's petite dimensions and simplicity and especially enjoy its remote setting on the southern part of the island. It sits on a lush little peninsula overlooking the sparkling Caribbean and is flanked by 2 beaches rarely used by the public.

It's in this perfect environment each year that I become very lazy. Lazy for me (at Sea Spirit) usually means lounging on the deck and:

·         Watching endlessly while the frigate birds perform their aerial acrobats high above sea

·         Becoming immersed for hours in a great book

·         Imagining where the cruise ship off in the distant horizon may be heading

·         Listening to the waves crashing on the rock below

·         Idly wondering which beach I may meander down to if and when I can tear myself away from the deck

The term "lazy" often has a negative connotation with synonyms such as "apathetic", "neglectful", and "sluggish". Yet, when on St. John, I embrace the more positive associations to laziness which include juicier terms like "dreaminess", "leisureliness", and "languidness".

That lovely form of laziness takes on a whole different meaningonce back in my home environment. There, "lazy "might mean a quick stretch before getting back to the bazillion things on my to-do list. So...the challenge each time I get away is; how to perfect the art of laziness once I get home, while being a responsible and professional adult (oh mi gosh...that sounds so serious! J)

I'm afraid I've recently slipped back into old Type A behaviors.  Yet as I work to get back to my less-stressed Self, what I'm re-learning is to hone my awareness skills. For me, that means to pay very close attention to how I plan my days so that I can include bits of leisurely laziness when at home. Sure, it won't be same as when I'm on vacation yet in the midst of a full and busy daily schedule, I can choose to at least carve out a few precious moments each day to take some important needed downtime. It's going to be my newest little project for the next few weeks, making tweaks to it, as needed. Once it has become a consistent, intentional process  and taking moments of delicious laziness has once again become habit; I know for sure that I'll be living a calmer, happier, and more balanced lifestyle.

What about YOU? How does delicious laziness (AKA leisureliness) show up in your life? If you say, "not at all", what might your busy life look like if you allowed just a bit laziness to seep in from time to time. How would you feel??