Day 196 - what are Saturdays for?

 Today is the 7th day of the 28th week, the 15th day of the 7th month, the 196th day of 2023, and:

• Arctic Sea Ice Day
• Bon [AKA Obon] - a family reunion holiday celebrated at different times in Japan.  This is Shichigatsu Bon, based on the solar calendar 
• Gummi Worm Day
• I Love Horses Day
• National Be A Dork Day
• National Bridal Sale Day
• National Give Something Away Day
• National Pet Fire Safety Day
• National Respect Canada Day
• National Strawberry Rhubarb Wine Day
• National Tapioca Pudding Day
• National Woodie Wagon Day - when was the last time you saw a station wagon?  They were the mainstay of the suburban family back in the day, but they have been replaced by the SUV 
• Orange Chicken Day
• Record Store Day
• Saint Swithin's Day
• Toss Away the 'Could Haves' and 'Should Haves' Day
• Vladimir the Great's feast day 
• Women's Dive Day
• World Youth Skills Day
• and Voyager 1 is 22h 08m 59s of light travel time from Earth 

Quote of the day:

"Summer is the annual permission slip to be lazy.  To do nothing and have it count for something.  To lie in the grass and count the stars.  To sit on a branch and study the clouds."

~ Regina Brett, American author, inspirational speaker, podcaster and newspaper columnist

Every day, when I call my friend after work, at the end of the conversation she asks "what are you going to do?"  Every weekend she asks what I did during the day, and there is always a slightly disapproving pause when my reply is "nothing".

The NY Times' article this morning was all about the art of the staycation, and how one should treat each weekend as a min-vacation by considering what you want to do and with whom.

There are many things that I could do this Saturday.  My luncheon date cancelled out because she had developed a sore throat after visiting her mom in the hospital, and these days we are all too aware of the possibilities of making someone else ill, so the day stretches out before me.  I could:  dive into the Disaster Area with the intent of discarding stuff;  start doing laundry; strip and change the bed;  walk over to the pool this afternoon; or call my daughter and see what they are getting into with the intent of going over and visiting.  Of all the choices, if I was feeling energetic, that last one is the most likely!

But I am not feeling energetic - indeed, I have the greatest reluctance to engage in any of these activities, even acknowledging the benefits of all of them.  

And so I become mired in the age-old discussion of  fatigue VS laziness, caught between the "I should be doing ....." and "I just want to veg out" vibes.  How blithely we throw out such terms as "lethargy" and "laziness" as though they are interchangeable and totally within the realm of our conscious control!  As though all I need is the will power to get going.....

Triscuit has the right idea.  It's summer, it's HHH [hazy, hot, humid], it's Saturday, and the day is mine to use how I wish.