No Day

"She's having a no day," Little One giggles whenever Smallest One is in a contradictory mood, responding with the short, negative reply to any and all questions. I told my parents I was taking one yesterday - no phone calls, no emails, no talking to anything that wasn't a dog. I was going to sleep and read and wallow in the messiness of my house.

It went well. I slept, read 3 books, showered, plucked my eyebrows and finished a single work thing that happened to be due yesterday. I wrote a blog post and basically enjoyed my freedom for the duration.

This morning, I got out of bed after sleeping poorly. I have this one spot on my left shoulder blade that twinges and aches. I do not know how I acquired this soreness but it's annoying and persistent. Still, I gathered up a week's worth of laundry and headed downstairs to start the washer. I read while the clothes tumbled through soapy water then hot air, folding them neatly to avoid wrinkles. That finished, I decided to tackle the snow I'd stubbornly ignored yesterday, dutifully following my snowblower as we swept up and down the driveway and sidewalks.

I encountered a very sad canine upon completion and grinned at her before clipping her leash on and setting off to follow her down the street to the park. As I stumbled and scrambled over ice and snow, I realized yesterday worked. I feel clearer, more tolerant, less scattered and unsettled. So I sent email and scheduled meetings, planned out my last week before leaving for Europe and realized the sick dread that held my attention last week has largely dissipated. Having accomplished all urgent items before 9AM, I decided to have one more day - a Not Really Day rather than a pure No Day - to rest and settle before heading back to battle tomorrow.