Off Day

With a major project now complete (and near future funding in question), today seemed like a good day to step away from the office and try to unwind. The tension is pretty high these days, so I'm making some time to slow down and indulge in personal time - something all too rare for me.

In the movie Parenthood, there is a tense scene where the character played by Steve Martin laments that between work, family, and extended family, his whole life is a "have-to." And while I'd like to think that my attitude isn't that bad, there are times where it does ring true. All I have to do is look at my calendar, my home, my job, my kids - there are a tremendous number of things to do and responsibilities to uphold. Some of these are good, but when the tank is empty, or rather filled with sludge, it becomes easy to look at all the "have-to's". For years, my wife has advised me to not be afraid to find something that feeds me, or brings me joy. Her advice is well noted. It may just be true that a day off is not so much an indulgence, but in truth a "have-to" of another sort. For sanity. For emotional release. For rest.

So this morning, I went back to that little 9-hole golf course. I arrived just before it opened, got stretched out, and hit a bucket of balls. When I finally started on the first hole, I was the only one on the course. When I finished, I was still the only one on the course. A few others were hitting range balls, but to walk 9 holes and have the place to myself - that was nice. I even finished two strokes better than I did the last time out. I did lose two balls: the first in the cotton on Hole 2, the second in the tree line on Hole 9. Before teeing off on that final hole, I watched a couple of fish (not sure what kind) breaking through the surface of the pond that surrounds the tee-box. A nice peaceful moment topping off a quiet morning outside.

What does the rest of the day hold? I frankly haven't decided yet. I may watch a Jimmy Cagney movie, or I may go upstairs and work on my neglected bonus room. I might even close my eyes and take a nap, before meeting my family in town late this afternoon. We're dropping the kids off at a science museum after school, and my wife and I are going on a date.

Yep, an off day is exactly what I needed.