PTO

This is what a day off looks like... and since I never take them just for me, I made sure anything I did was purely for me. A-maz-ing.Sleeping in till 7am. Waking up without an alarm.Writing morning pages with the doggie sleepily looking on. 3 pages of long-hand, snapping a few pictures in the quiet. Exhibit A:Feeding and watering both myself and the pup. Then out for a 3 mile run with lots of stops for him to sniff and pee and me to catch my breath. Listened to "Fresh Air" interview with Louis C.K. It did not disappoint.Then on to a real breakfast, now that we have a kitchen full of groceries. Not since Thanksgiving has the fridge been this full. Fruit, eggs, spinach and a few corn tortillas. And lots and lots of reading.I spent most of the morning reading - blogs, Harry Potter 4 (which I finished!), and few other books on the e-reader. I spent it cuddled up in an arm chair with this guy:I didn't check email, Twitter or Facebook. No TV or phone calls. Hell, I didn't even leave the house. I showered around 1pm with the intention of taking myself out for writing and coffee, but just didn't want to go. Lunch was eaten in too:It involved a whole avocado, an entire tomato and more tea. Literally, wholes foods.I perused Liz Lamoreux's blog, especially her journalling videos, Chookooloonks' blog, and got lost in the depths of Nothing But Bonfires' site before fiance was home and I was cooking dinner. Then it was crafty time, which is so-not-me normally but what can I say? I'm pretty inspired by Elise Joy's blog lately, and I figured, I feel better when I make things, so why deprive myself of this tiny pleasure?They're going to be valentines. I've sent Christmas cards for the past 5+ years, but this past year it became something that needed to fall off the list to make room for things like work events, wedding planning and, um, sleep... so when I saw this adorable pack at Paper Source, I just had to have 'em.Not sure how many hours it's supposed to take, but I hope to get them out in the next few days. Luckily, this week is wide open in the evenings, so I'll be making my way through the project. It's important to note that this type of thing can so quickly become a "to do" that I'm working to keep it a "project" and not a "have to". Something fun and relaxing, not torture. Something that will make other people happy, but is filling my well at the same time.I don't know why I didn't just take a day off last week, when I needed it. Wasn't acknowledging it somehow. That old "knuckle down" habit. So glad I did. I can feel another day would just be amazing, but tomorrow I'll be able to return to work with energy, knowing that I took care of myself today.