I’m standing in the elevator, waiting for it to reach our floor. My foot taps an impatient rhythm as my arms hold my daughter, Zoey. She is beyond upset that we have just said goodbye to my mom—her beloved Grammy Sue—so she is loudly, and messily, sobbing into my shoulder, her cries reverberating in my ears. Her wet tears, the ones trickling down my skin, are the closest thing I’ve come to a shower this morning.
The elevator opens, and I walk into the hall toward our apartment. As Zoey’s tears slowly subside, she begins to feel heavier in my arms: I can tell she’s simply worn out. After we’re in the comfort of our home, I set Zoey down and she plods slowly toward the living room, her shoulders lower than usual. As I watch her walk away, I see raindrops start to splatter against the windows, and in that moment, I feel my own tiredness settle in.
This past month has been a total whirlwind for us. Between summer vacation, Zoey’s birthday, multiple visits from my parents, summer camp, and a busy work schedule—as always—for me, our normal routine has been completely uprooted.
Although we’ve had a fun summer, the haphazardness of our days has made it feel like we needed a little bit of a reset.
I point to the window as I sit on the couch. “Look, Zoey. It’s raining.” She climbs up next to me and cuddles up close.
“I think I know what we need to do the rest of the day,” I say into the crown of her head.
Zoey leans back and looks at me, her sad eyes searching. “What?” she asks.
“Well,” I say, “I think we should just be lazy.”
And suddenly, just like that, Zoey’s sad eyes turn happy, and her radiant smile returns.
* * *
Do you remember when we were kids? When summers were long and lazy and didn’t seem to be over in the blink of an eye? When the days didn’t feel overwhelming because we weren’t overworked, over-scheduled, and overtired? How can we get some of those peaceful, easy feelings of childhood back?
I think we all need to think about embracing the lovely luxury of a lazy day.
* * *
As I type this, I’m curled up in my corner of the couch, watching those raindrops trickle down the window and drinking a cup of my favorite tea. On the other end, Zoey has made herself a cozy little nook, surrounded by some of her favorite things: stuffed animals, books, paper, stickers, and a bag of potato chips (hey, lazy days need lazy snacks, too…). We are dressed in our comfiest clothes, and we have a pile of pillows to lean against and a couple of blankets to wrap ourselves up in when the air conditioning gets too cold. Every once in a while, one of us will break the silence when we say something to the other or lean over to steal a kiss or grab a hug, but for the most part, we’re enjoying the peaceful quiet that surrounds us.
Dishes fill the sink, Zoey’s bed is still unmade, and the apartment needs some serious picking up. But I’ve decided I’m not going to feel guilty about the mess. Since there’s nothing else that I actually need to be doing right now, I’ve decided that I’m just going to enjoy this down time, time where I can hit that much needed reset button, time that feels downright decadent.
From how relaxed I feel in these moments, I can tell that a lazy day to recharge was something I desperately needed, and from how happy I can tell this is making Zoey, I know she needed it, too.
* * *
“What are we going to do tonight, Mommy?” Zoey’s little voice breaks the silence between us.
“What would you like to do, Z?” I ask, happy to give her the power to make our evening plans.
“Well…,” she slowly says, “I was thinking we could keep doing more of this.” Her face is relaxed, happy, and hopeful as she sweeps her arms to indicate that she is exactly where she’d like to be the rest of the night, doing exactly what she’s doing right now.
“I think this is the perfect plan,” I agree, leaning in to take this opportunity to tickle her. She starts giggling, and as I start tickling her harder, with her squeals of laughter reverberating in my ears, I think to myself:
This is the best idea we’ve had in a very long time.
Talk to Us: What do you do when you need to recharge? When was your last lazy day? How do you like to spend a lazy day?
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I never tire of the way you write and what you share! 🙂 And, as far as a reset goes, it’s funny that my latest post speaks to that (I wrote it yesterday…July 30/17). As my way of shifting from staycation mode (in anticipation of returning to work on Monday), I referenced the nostalgic joys of summer camp. Thanks for another amazing post 🙂
Glad you guys got to reset and relax. A lazy day every now and then is so nice.
This is making me realize it’s been wwwaaayyy too long since I’ve had s lazy day!
Seriously, I think it takes courage to just put it all aside and curl up with your kids. You are right, we are so busy that we let our to do list consume us. Taking your advice on the next rainy day!
Back when I was teaching a summer class and working as a supervisor at Starbucks, my husband would get up for work on my days off and just let me sleep before stopping to give me a kiss on his way out the door, but now that I have summers off, I get up every morning to make us breakfast and coffee and to pack his lunch to save money. This morning, when his alarm went off, I was deep in REM and dreaming. I secretly hoped he would tell me just to stay in bed, and I felt too guilty to ask, but I miss those delicious days of sleeping until I’m completely ready to get up! It seems so much easier to be lazy in winter when it’s cold outside.
Thanks for the reminder that kids can use a little lazy now and then. We’ve been so go go go this summer and maybe this weekend we’ll plan for a little chill.
Bless your heart. These times are so precious. So glad you were able to just take some time and just “be”.
Lazy days are so needed! We had a full and busy day on Saturday so we took the opportunity to be lazy yesterday and it felt so good. Such a good reminder that we need to slow down and recharge.
My kiddos and I were super busy this past school year. We have dedicated the summer to having time off to just relax and chill!
This had me in tears. What a sweet and amazing post. Zoey sounds very wise beyond her years!
I love lazy days with no agenda. We are a “both parents work from home and the 13-year-old is homeschooled” family…and things still get too busy and frantic and out of control. One of our favorite ways to unwind is pajamas, movies and take-out. When Daddy is traveling it’s Chinese (because he doesn’t really like it) and when he’s home it’s pizza. Either is fine with me as long as I don’t have to cook!
I love this story. Lazy days are so important. We all need to take some time to sit back, recharge, and just BE. I think rainy days like the one you had are the perfect day for this. Stay in my comfy PJs, read a good book, and maybe watch a movie. When we live such busy lives, it’s often those slow, “nothing planned” days that I yearn for the most.
I so need to learn from Zoey. Or my former self. Those are the kinds of days I have difficulty with as an adult because I feel the constant need to be productive, maximize every minute I’m not at work to work on personal goals. But it’s in those “lazy moments” where inspiration strikes, where we feel grounded and calm. Thank you (and Zoey!) for the reminder <3
Lazy days do need snacks. So much.
Like you two, I don’t recognize normally the need for a lazy day until the weight of it all is on me. You took yours just in time. For me it’s hard, even when I feel I can empty my mind of mundane tasks and absorb the moment …
There are always soccer dues unpaid, and only vague plans of how to pay them. There’s an old car in the shop without a good prognosis. There’s a doctor’s visit that should happen, and a new season about to start, and I’m 24 hours away from it, already feeling weary.
Normally, my lazy day asserts itself: I’ll get sick. Nothing awful, just a fever and aches. Just enough to keep me grounded on the couch. I actually look forward to this breaking down of my own body, funny as it sounds.
I sleep. No caffeine necessary. I watch movies. No need to check IMDB to see if the kids can see it. I rest. The laptop stays closed, the phone stays off, and the only thing that matters is a warm blanket and a TV remote.
I think I need another sick day, soon. To be lazy.
A lazy day is ABSOLUTELY Necessary in the summer! I feel like our summers are so jam packed that we miss out on those lazy days. We were lucky enough to have a lazy weekend this weekend and it was awesome! We never stopped playing but we had NO where to be!
We should have lazy days more often. Everybody is just too busy and it is taking a toll on our health
Aww, lazy days like that are the best. Being able to “switch off” can be difficult these days.
Lazy days are often the best days. We get so worn out when we’re constantly on the go. Sometimes we don’t even realize it but days like this are my favorite ways to re-charge, too.
I like those kinds of days to refresh me!
I love lazy days and sadly it’s been awhile for us with a busy summer too. We have rain in the forecast for Friday so I may just plan a day of lazy with the kids then!
I love this post! Every so often a lazy day is exactly what we need. When my daughter and I spend too many days in a row running from place to place, a day of relaxation and laziness is perfect for recharging.
We are all about the lazy days around here. One thing that I loved about summers was just being bored and not doing anything. Just the other days I called a time out on electronics and when the boys they might have panicked. Im a little ashamed to say that being lazy has invluded far to much screen time this summer.
Love lazy days, especially in the rain. Sadly I don’t give myself guilt-free permission to take them often enough. This reminded me I should do that!
My son loves lazy days. He doesn’t get them often, even in the summer but when he does, like your Zoe, he is thrilled.
As someone who graduated college a little more than one year ago, I am very busy with my day job during the week. On most weeks, I head out to lake with friends. I find myself relaxed at the lake, but it’s been awhile since I’ve done absolutely nothing and sat on the couch all day!
what a lovely day together and a beautiful memory!
It has been feeling like we need a reset over here too. It’s amazing how quickly the summer passes and then it’s right back to school again.
Love this so much!!! We all need a lazy day once in a while to recharge 🙂 Boo and I call them pajama days LOL!!!
I love lazy days. I love to just sleep in, read a book, eat cereal, and melt into the couch. 🙂
Lazy days are hard to come by, it seems. They are definitely to be cherished.
We love lazy days, especially after just being “busy”. We stay in our pajamas all day, the boys think that is the best.
I am trying to make more laxy days for myself and my boys. I get really anxious if we have an appointment or have a place to be at a certain time. So the days when we having nothing to do are an absolute blessing. It is a good feeling when you can just sit back and relax!