There are a million things you and I could we doing today.
As I look around my house, a to-do list immediately compiles in my head: vacuum, mop, wash clothes, fold clothes, clean the bathroom, change the cat litter, make jam, clean the fridge, chop firewood, stack kindling, weed the garden, move bales of hay, knit, find more knitting patterns, clean alpaca fleeces, write another blog article, check work emails, remind myself to add another item to that work email, buy leggings, organise my budget, book optometrist, book dentist appointment... ARGHHHHH!!!!
I closed my eyes and tuned in. My body wasn't feeling the best. I have a headache and the wind is ravaging outside. I had to pull out from an alpaca show I was looking forward to attending due to fatigue and ill health. I lost money on entry fees and motel booking. Plus lost a chance to see how my animals compare to others in the show ring. Could they have won some ribbons? Why didn't I press on and go to the show, despite feeling unwell? What a waste of a day.
I hate feeling like a failure, not able to keep up with my appointments, plans and my to-do list... but you know what? I can never keep up with the perfect life I want to lead. Are you the same? It doesn't matter how much I get done, the to-do list always gets more additions. Now, with the pandemic of Covid-19, we seem to be caught up in the contingency list-making. Do we have this, do we need that?
I've written before about how much alpacas can teach us about slowing down. As I checked my pregnant female alpacas this morning, I noticed the lovely blank look on their faces. They were resting up, some chewing their cud, some quietly comfortable, hips to the side, blank eyes. I bet they weren't making to-do lists for when their babies arrive or worrying about getting their bodies back into shape.
I always like to sit beside my alpacas, watching their them... and my mind couldn't help but start making another list: "their toenails need cutting, need to buy more lucerne hay, who should I mate with who next time?, I can't wait for the school holidays... dam, need to finish cleaning fleeces..." and so it goes.
Last Friday 13 March was World Sleep Day. According to the organisers, "World Sleep Day is designed to raise awareness of sleep as a human privilege that is often compromised by the habits of modern life". I can't believe we need to remind ourselves of our need to sleep. But we do.
So let's sleep in. Put to-do lists aside. Enjoy wasted days. Close our eyes and do nothing. Be a bit more alpaca like. Sit quietly and breathe. Wasted days are good for you. We can all learn to rest like an alpaca.
