Lazy Days

The question was, “How do you like to spend a lazy day?” My brain froze as if a processing malfunction had caused the equivalent of a blue screen or a 404 error. What is this concept of lazy days? At first, I decided to reject the premise of the question and deny the existence of lazy days. Then my daughter suggested that it might be a good opportunity for some introspection. Damn kids.

I can’t recall a day in the past forty years when I didn’t have something to do. Admittedly, that something is usually work, but it isn’t always. I love fishing, SCUBA diving, snow skiing, exercising, backpacking, wake surfing, and the company of great friends. I do these things on more days each year than most people, however, those days are not lazy. They are always action-packed.

Being coerced into reflection didn’t help me answer the lazy day question until I had what researchers call a natural experiment. Last summer, I broke my foot in seven places and was unable to do most of the things on my “free day” list for three or four months. I kept up my travel schedule with the aid of a knee scooter but most of my preferred activities were off the table.

We went on vacation to Hawaii a couple of weeks after having my foot put back together with eight screws and a plate. I did manage to go fishing one day, but there was to be no hiking – and trying to use crutches on the beach seemed like a bad idea. That left me with time on my hands that no amount of Summer Olympics programming could fill. That’s when I lathered on the sunscreen, grabbed a book and a beer, and planted my hobbled butt in a lounge chair by the pool.

That is where you could find me for the next five days while I tore through a couple of books and the entire stack of New Yorkers that had piled up unread in my backpack. It was glorious. I don’t recall being anxious about the fact that I was doing nothing. In fact, I had nothing else to do.

So how would I like to spend a lazy day? Hypothetically, I’d drink beer by the pool and read a book. The next time I am physically unable to do something more exciting, I’ll consider doing it again.