RiverBender Blog: I'm Becoming Lazier (Yay!)

This past weekend was Halloween — “Halloweekend,” to the cool cats — and what crazy shenanigans did I get into?

Nothing. Not a single thing. And it was awesome.

A younger, more energetic version of me might’ve packed every minute of Halloweekend with fun. I remember vividly the time, not too long ago, when I came home at 5 a.m. on Nov. 1 to find my mother waiting at the front door. (Sorry, Mom.)

That was not my finest moment, but you know what? I had a ton of fun. I don’t regret that at all. (Truly, though — sorry, Mom.)

But now, at the ripe old age of 26, I’m much more inclined to be fast asleep at 5 a.m. In fact, with the Halloween fun behind me and the time change confusing my internal clock, I literally went to bed at 7 p.m. the other night.

This is who I am now, and I’m okay with it!

That doesn’t mean that I’ve cut out all social fun, of course. I did see some friends on Friday, and we enjoyed an evening of soup and watching the trick-or-treaters and catching up. Then on Saturday, Oct. 31, I expended all my social battery at the Alton Halloween Parade, taking pictures and chatting with participants for several stories that were published on RiverBender.com.

But Sunday was my magnum opus of a day. I did nothing. I did nothing so well that I actually had to change from pajamas into sweats and back into pajamas to simply trick my brain into thinking I had done something, to indicate to myself that I had switched from night to daytime and back again. That’s how little I did, and it was great.

As we head into this darker weather, complete with rain and dreariness, I’m determined to find the cozy factor instead. This fall will be cozy and relaxing and gentle, dammit! I demand it.

So to kick it off, I curled up on the couch with a book of poems and a quintessential fall movie — “Twilight” — playing on TV. It was cloudy outside, with leftover Halloween decorations swaying in the wind out the window. I lay there and thought about nothing and, most importantly, did not lift a finger.

Glorious. Pure glory. Highly recommend.

Of course, we can’t live every day like that. There are things to do and tasks to complete. I have my share of projects piling up on my to-do list.

But c’mon. Sometimes, a lazy day is exactly what you need. And I needed that.

So, yes, I’m advocating for laziness. I’m supporting my own laziness to the max. The more chances I have to be lazy, the more excited I am. I will choose laziness every time.

But seriously, as the weather shifts and it gets dark at 4 p.m., I hope we can all band together and do some fun things and enjoy a gentle, relaxing season. I want that for us all! I think we’ve certainly earned it.

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