Downtime

Before I had children, I didn’t realise how much downtime I had. Life was a celebration of the simple pleasures like reading, writing, doodling, dreaming, cooking, and the odd spot of sloth.

Now any downtime between work, bathtime, playtime, and feeding time is spent staring vacantly at the wall mouth half open with some drool dribbling down my chin in a catatonic state of disbelief.

Or that’s how it seems.

How could I have wasted all that time?

But maybe it wasn’t wasted. Creativity can be fostered through work but also demands quiet reflection. A walk through the bush can be a catalyst for a new project, a new idea, a new view of the world. The time I spent not working on something was a preparation for now.

The time I spent procrastinating is another matter.

But as the song says, je ne regrette rien.

Downtime is important, and with children even more so. It allows for the creative, emotional, and physical energies to be reenergised through doing nothing other than being, just being.

Blogging offers me the same kind of respite. It is a release from the constant demands of work, family, and ambition.

Sitting in front of the fire tapping away at the post while the babies sleep is refreshing and wonderful. And when they wake I can play.