Yesterday I was given the gift of two hours. Two hours in which I had no plans, no agenda, and nowhere I had to stop. After much thought and deliberation, I had devised a plan for my two hours. I would do nothing!
It was a relaxing departure from my normal pattern of racing around, running this and that errand, cramming in as many stops as I possibly can until the very last minute. Instead of that frenetic, rat-like behavior, I instead chose to go to a national bookseller's store, purchase a bottle of sparkling water, find a comfy chair in an out-of-the-way corner and park myself. I had come prepared with my brain full of tasks to add to lists and my planner, in which I would write down all of the emptied tasks from my head. The chair was just right for my short legs and the location of the chair was hidden enough that people were not constantly traipsing in front of me. Four chairs down, a man sat reading a book, and he never moved a muscle. I marveled at his ability to sit perfectly still. I savored my sparkling water....another departure from my normal purchase of coffee. The water was refreshing and the sparkle tingled in my mouth and down my throat.
After I'd completed composing my to-do lists, I turned to the major task at hand...........compiling the grocery shopping list. Even that mundane job was more fun while I was poised in my over-stuffed chair, sipping sparkling water and taking the occasional gander at the people around me. With that completed, I spied a women's magazine on a rack directly in front of me and took advantage of my "free" time to read it cover-to-cover. Checking my watch I discovered more minutes remaining in my freedom and I chose another magazine to peruse.
My final treat to myself was to browse through the cooking section. Cookbook covers always look so inviting. People who specialize in food photography seem to mange to coax and tease the ultimate pixels from the pictures of the objects they photograph. Have you ever seen a dull-looking photo involving food? The area immediately in front of the cookbooks has a long table that serves as a meeting place for small groups. Yesterday's group was involved in either knitting or crocheting. It was fascinating to be looking at book spines and hearing the constant click-click of yarn needles.
All too soon, my two hours of ultimate freedom came to a close and I had to head out to meet up with Capt. SO. I left the bookseller feeling rested and refreshed, an infrequent air for me to be experiencing. Only two hours.......just think about what four or five or even eight would be like!
Ancora imparo
