A Real Day of Relaxation

Monday, the first day of vacation, my daughter stayed in bed all day --- all day. She decided (and I thought it was a pretty interesting idea) that her first day of vacation be about totally relaxing and not doing anything. In fact, she took it so seriously she decided she would stay in bed and read. She then decided it was okay if she watched a DVD and then read again. I was to bring her breakfast in bed, lunch in bed, snacks in bed. As a great mom, watching this experiment, I did as I was told and brought her food and watched her read, read, read, watch a DVD, and read some more. She had a stack of books by her bed, a portable DVD player and a basket of DVDs to choose from. She never brushed her hair, washed her face, or brushed her teeth, and she was in heaven.

I had agreed before this experiment to let her hang out all day as she had a busy year, ballet recitals, theater performances, and lots of homework. Monday, her first day of vacation would be her day to call the shots. I wondered, however, how long she would actually stay in bed. There might have been a sneak to the bathroom when I wasn’t looking, but she actually didn’t get out of bed (that I saw) until 4pm.

I asked her later, what she thought of the day and she said, “I felt like I was floating in a cloud.” She also told me it got a little boring, but it was still a pretty perfect day—no responsibilities, no schedule, no one telling her what to do – and me serving her!

So, I began to think, maybe we can all learn from her. Maybe once in awhile as an adult we should shed our responsibilities, shed our “To Do” lists and stay in bed all day, read, watch DVDs, and most importantly be served!