Sit a While, but Stay

These last few weeks I’ve noticed a couple of bloggers I really like disappear. Not just go silent for a bit, as we all have to do now and then, but actually shut down their sites. Every time I see one of those notices my stomach lurches a little at the thought of all the work they’ve put in for years just totally vanish forever. I always miss them, and I wonder what it was that pushed them over the edge, or made the idea of blogging any more just seem too much. Maybe it’s because a lot of us have really high expectations of ourselves, and we sometimes think that not being able to work pretty much 24/7 equals failure. So we spread ourselves too thin, take on too much, agree with too much, because we’re too nice to ever say no. Procrastination and having a bit of fun are big evils and never to be tolerated. Maybe we think wrong though.

I’ve seen loads of articles on how to beat procrastination, or laziness, depending which word you prefer to use. I’ve also seen a couple of truly lazy buggers who really do just want to sit around doing nothing all the time. I understand when severe depression can lead to a couple of days on the couch watching reruns and mindlessly munching ice-cream, but that’s not the kind of sofa driving I mean. I believe that now and then we should all be as lazy as we like – not that I’ve had time for a good laze myself for a while now, so hopefully nobody thinks that I mean me.

Humans are the only creatures on the planet who feel pressure to always be doing something constructive. Other animals take goodly chunks of their days to just hang around staring into the distance doing absolutely nothing – unless they’re being chased by some toothy thing, or in a stressful situation. I believe this is good for you – a bit of inward gazing soul food maybe, and the lack of it a possible reason for us being the most peculiar species in the world. So, even though I don’t (YET) practice what I preach, I honestly think that a bit of procrastination, doing nothing at all, or something silly or apparently trivial should be included in all of our lives.

Lazy – funny – all good.

I have serious problems with jobs waiting to be done. They lurk in the corners of my mind, and generally taint whatever else it is that I’m doing at the time. Occasionally it all just seems like too much, and then brain-freeze ensues, where all that there is, is panic and guilt bouncing between ears, and that makes for nothing at all to be done. And then more panic and guilt, and your very last marble finally sneaks off to try and lose itself. Then a little lala land followed by a, “Well, buggritt. Everyone’s going to hate me anyway – I’m off to watch some TV” could easily happen.

Maybe this is what happens to many of the people who disappear from the bloggerverse. It’s a shame though, because most people don’t see us the way we see ourselves, and they definitely don’t have the same crazy expectations of us. While you’re thinking that people see you as lazy, indifferent, selfish and downright rude, the opposite is probably true. And if they think you’re a tool for reasons of their own. Well…

I personally haven’t managed to stop my zoomy ways, but I will when I’m caught up to where I want to be, and that won’t be too far in the future. And then I’m definitely going to get my lazy on at least a couple of times every week. Don’t make the rules that you make for yourself too tough, but if you do, and find that you can’t keep up, change them – slow down for at least a while – take all the time that you need. The people who genuinely like you would much rather have you in their world less often, than for you to disappear entirely.