Leisure Time by Nannette Croce

Leisure time. It used to be what people aspired to. It was the last rung of the ladder. The “leisured” class.

When did it change?

Now the measure of success is how “busy” you are. How many cell phone calls you need to squeeze in before the plane takes off. How many times you need to check your Blackberry while on vacation. People complain about new technology putting them constantly on call, but I have often suspected that if silence were to break out, panic would set in. Am I not indispensable? Am I no longer important?

In support of this I can state, unequivocally, that it did not begin with the tech boom. A couple of decades ago I learned the hard way that when the manager said, “Don't call unless the building’s on fire” one should not ignore the wink and nod. Being constantly interrupted with "important" business matters lent a certain cachet. I even fell prey to it myself once or twice, making “You forgot to leave me those spreadsheets to type” into "another fire to put out" in the eyes of my traveling companions.

Not anymore. Call me crazy, but I appreciate my leisure time. At my last job, contacts wanted my cell number and personal e-mail to access me 24/7. Yes, I could have seemed very important, taking calls at my kid’s school play, but I wasn’t important. I had a part-time slightly above minimum wage job, and nothing really mattered so much it couldn’t wait one more day. Amazingly, my contacts learned to accept that. No one’s world fell apart, and I hung onto my now much appreciated leisure time.

Wanna Swap? by Angie Ledbetter

It was a typical weekend full of “do this” and “do that” things. Let’s see...Friday started off with the awful 5:30 alarm clock. (Which reminds me, why am I always in the best sleep right when the alarm rings?) After morning carpool, I had 9 hours of working a school fundraiser. Next, my sister and I set up for a surprise 70th birthday party for our wonderful mom, and started early Saturday morning getting the final preps done. Afterward, there was clean-up to do and then home to my blessed bed. Sunday, I had “kid stuff” to do and a baseball parents meeting. Did I mention my house is still decorated for Christmas and the tree is still up? My carport looks like a bomb went off in it.

This morning, the alarm started my treadmill all over again and I started to throw a minor hissy fit when I saw all the clutter and chores gone undone all weekend by the kids (and myself). This led to thoughts of what other people must do on their weekends. My mind, selfish critter that it is, immediately conjured up all sorts of restful, fun, and relaxing events they're pursuing: movies, a weekend getaway, leisurely napping, dining out with friends, playing board games or poker...oh, the list was endless. Then I stopped to really think. Do others really, truly spend their weekends in idyllic ways? Probably not. Definitely not those with kids.

More than likely, they’re doing the same kind of things I am. They caught up on chores that slid by during the busy work week; they visited sick or elderly relatives and friends; they grocery shopped; they moved a parent into assisted living; they pined for loved ones out of town; they attended long days of school baseball or basketball games; they helped an ill friend; they worked a weekend job; they dealt with chronic pains or new ailments; they cleaned the yard. Maybe a few did get a shot at some real R&R for a change, but so do I.

In reality, there’s not a single person I’d change lives with. And that fact should shut my whiny, unappreciative brain up for a day or two!

Ah, Spontaneity by Angie Ledbetter

For many years, I was a prisoner of Responsibility and Routine – not the kind of R&R one usually welcomes. Married to a man who worked on the road for the better part of every year, I was pretty hemmed in with three babies at home. When the kids were all finally in school, my days shifted to include part-time odd jobs as well as being the main parent. Still not lots of freedom in the schedule. But now that they are in their late teens and two of them are driving, my days have suddenly loosened a bit.

Having lived under sometimes stifling duties, and spinning my wheels deeply in ruts (not that I’d change those years for anything), the freedom I’m experiencing is heady. For the first time since I was 16, except for the 5 years I was home with babies, I’m not employed outside my home. I flummoxed around at first trying to find a new routine, but with Spontaneity back in my life, I’m loving it.

Isn’t there some corny saying, song lyric, children’s book, or ad campaign that says, “Free to be me?” (Probably some tag line for a feminine product!) That’s how I’m feeling these days. Spontaneity allows me these and many other gifts:

*More time to create poetry and to work on writing projects.
*Time to take a poetry course and to attend writing conferences.
*Freedom to visit my parents and/or eat lunch with friends.
*The ability to show up at my kids’ school in costume. (And I have many!)
*Time to observe and appreciate the often-missed smaller details of life.
*An occasional nap around freelance assignments.

So, today, and for as long as it lasts, I am truly thankful for all the great things Spontaneity affords me. He’s a much kinder, selfless partner than those evil twins, Responsibility & Routine!

Wanna see how grateful you are? Check out this online quiz: http://www.beliefnet.com/section/quiz/index.asp?sectionID=&surveyID=105