I really tried my best. I gave it everything I had, but I failed.
What did I fail at?
I tried to be lazy, but I failed. I failed miserably. I failed completely. And I felt defeated.
I just wanted to be LAZY!
More specifically, I wanted to enjoy being idle just for one single day. I did not want to do anything so-called productive. I just wanted to lie in bed and binge-watch Netflix from sunrise to sunset. I wanted to be relaxed like cows which mindlessly stroll in the field, eating and eating, and eating, all day long. I wanted to move at a pace as slow as possible, like a snail.
However, I literally couldn’t do any of these things. Even for one single day.
My problem is that even when I am as tired as a marathoner who has just finished her 42 kilometers running, I am always acting like the energizer bunny in the commercials who is endlessly drumming. I keep going, going, going, going and still going.
Today, Monday, is the only/ single/ day within a week when I am off from all of my three part-time jobs. As some of you already know, I work at Trader Joe’s, Starbucks, and I drive for Lyft. Before going to bed last night, I made a plan for my day-off, as thorough as the NASA plan to land on Mars.
First, no alarm sounds to wake me up.
Second, do everything lying in bed — eating, reading, checking emails, watching videos, and practicing this Toastmasters speech as well.
Third, take fewer than 500 steps during the entire day. Don’t take any unnecessary steps. Be mindful, intentional, and purposeful when taking even one single step! Only take steps between the bed and the kitchen for eating!
Lastly, I reminded myself of some fun slogans like “Just do it… later!!”, “ Dream Big, Sleep More!”, or “If you’re not lazy, you’re not doing it right”.
So, with this master plan, I went to bed last night. I was very, very determined to sleep as long as possible. However, this morning, when I opened my eyes, it was only 5 am. I tried to fall back asleep, but I could not do it. My brain was getting even more clear and hyper-active than before, and suddenly my back started itching here and there. So I jumped out of bed to go jogging, as if I were Ben Johnson, the world famous 100-meter sprinter.
Why is it so difficult for me to be lazy?
I think it is because when I was growing up, I was brainwashed by my parents, schools, and society. I was raised under the moral belief that it is always right and proper to wake up at the crack of dawn and immediately leap out of bed in order to set about doing some useful work.
Also, I was continuously reinforced by many aphorisms or fables that describe laziness as absolutely wrong.
I repeatedly read Aesop’s fables, The Tortoise and the Hare and The Three Little Pigs. They talk about how laziness resulted in disaster, as if justice should be served.
So, it’s no wonder that I am an indoctrinated person who believes being lazy is as bad as committing murder. I have never called in sick for school. I received a six-year attendance award at my elementary school. Never late, never absent for six years. Would it be possible that any kids never, ever got sick or felt bad for even a single day in more than 2,000 days?
Recently, I read an article titled The Virtue of Idleness. According to the article, people who spent time daydreaming were more creative than those who did not, and taking just 6 minutes of daydreaming can reduce stress levels by up to 68%.
I am going to continue to practice being lazy. Especially on my days off, which are usually Mondays. No alarm setting, sleep in as late as possible, no jogging, no swimming, but do come to the Toastmasters meeting. So, see you next week.
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