What to Leave Out

It's Sunday, the day stretches ahead. There are routines, exceptions; chores and special events; plans and blank spaces; energy and idleness. Routines can be comfortable, but I'm not sure the rest of my world appreciates them. Routines have seldom been something shared, except maybe walking the dogs—who had no choice. Setting the routines aside, the exceptions are what move us along. If all we do is our usual routine, nothing new happens. So, even those who appreciate routine tolerate those necessary exceptions.

The chores make for some purpose in the day. I still like to be able to tell myself at the end of it that I got a few things accomplished. In college, my friend Gerry Murphy and I had a memorable dorm room discussion (I'll bet it was on a Sunday) about the effect of a sense of accomplishment. We argued that the sense of accomplishment encourages the one who is having this feeling to rest on his or her laurels, so to speak, and reduces motivation. The most obvious cause of this sense of accomplishment was the accomplishment itself. Avoiding this sense of accomplishment that only reduces motivation and encourages languor is best achieved by avoiding the task itself. So we determined that we were best served by doing nothing in the first place. (What? We were in college, for heaven's sake!)

So, you might think avoiding the chores would be my preference, but then I grew up, so here I am placing a value on doing chores. Then, there are the special events. I'll take a few of them, as long as a reasonable period of rest follows soon.

I like some blank spaces, too many big plans make me feel trapped, then driven. Just for today, I want to stay with the blank spaces. (Thanks, Gerry). I put up with the big plans, but I think I undermine certain portions of those big plans to make sure they don't overlap, but have blank spaces in between.

There is a downside to too much blank space—lethargy. Merriam-Webster says it's "the quality or state of being lazy, sluggish, or indifferent." In my view, you have to program your Sunday a bit. But, once you open that door, plans proliferate and to restore balance, you have to ask yourself "what do I need to leave out?"

Next thing you know, I'll be trying to write one of those "Six Word Biographies."