Doing very little

Sleep is important, duh! Is the title of one of our podcasts. We talk about why sleep is necessary and what it does to our bodies, our minds and wellbeing when we don’t get enough. Sleep does not come easily to everyone so we are always grateful that we mostly have a good night’s rest.

There are those occasions though, when the sleep gremlins decide it is time to dance on Chantal’s head. Usually at the witching hour of 2am or thereabouts the bully boys come out to play. A moment of wakefulness, to turn into a more comfortable position, and bam! in they crash.

The fun starts as they whisper earworm songs, cackle inane conversations or dribble unreasonable worries into Chantal’s ears. These then sit in a chaotic whirlpool going round and round the unmerry go round of no sleep.

Luckily this does not happen often. However, on an early Monday morning a week or so ago the gremlins moved in. There are some key strategies that Chantal uses to fall asleep that often work. This time, no go. Nothing worked. Time ticked awfully by. By 4am she had had enough and got up to go and do some work.

“The early hours of the morning are supposed to be the most productive,” she protested when a grumpy Matthew came looking for her.

Noisy affairs

Monday mornings are very noisy affairs at our home-office. Our delightful housekeeper gives the place a thorough clean. The vacuum cleaner hums, the washing machine whirls, and the house is momentarily turned upside down.

We hunker down in the office, the door closed tightly against the noise, which still manages to seep in. Having had so little sleep, the idea of having to mitigate the noise and mess on this Monday, was not enticing.

We decided to escape to a venue away from our normal surroundings to have an uninterrupted breakfast and some time to consider the week ahead.

“I’m feeling flat and demotivated,” confessed an energyless Chantal once the dishes had been cleared and a second cappuccino had arrived.

The week that stretched ahead looked bland and unsatisfying to her despite a full calendar.

“Take the rest of the day off,” said Matthew.

And she did.

Chantal felt much better after a nap in the afternoon and an early night with uninterrupted sleep. What a relief! Sleep is important, duh!

A celebration of years

Midweek was highlighted with a celebration of our years together. It had been ten years since we first met. Matthew is a sucker for marking these occasions even though Chantal dismisses them with a wave of her hand. He booked a table for dinner, organised flowers and made the day special.

“You always say that it is important to recognise and honour anniversaries,” said Matthew when Chantal scolded him playfully for making a big deal of the day.

It is important. The years we have known each other have not always been easy, or lacking in significant challenges. Both on the personal and professional fronts. We have traversed them to this point and are still together. It is a surprise. And not.

“If we don’t get it right in this lifetime,” said Chantal, who believes that there is a sacred contract that has to be upheld and completed in this life, “I’ll just have to come back and do it all over again. And I really don’t want to do that.”

“You don’t want to come back to this world peopled by humans determined to destroy it and themselves?” said Matthew with mock incredularity.

He certainly doesn’t. Once is more than enough. Actually we have met in previous lives, if the words of a sangoma, and two psychics are to be believed. We didn’t get the job done then so it is now or back we come. Aagh!

Some time away

The milestone did give Chantal pause to consider that it might be a good idea to take some time away for the weekend. We spend so much time in the same place doing the same things, that it was a good time to get away to a different environment for a reset and a refresh.

A booking was made and time was set aside. Friday to Sunday at Mount Grace in the Magaliesburg Mountains (the fourth oldest mountain range on earth, in case you didn’t know).

The last time Chantal was at this hotel was to attend her youngest brother’s wedding which was 30 years ago. Matthew last visited twenty years ago. It was still family run then.

The hotel is now owned by Southern Sun. It has lost some of that personal touch and individual flair that comes from the careful eye of a family in charge. But the staff are well trained, welcoming and competent. The setting remains as beautiful as we remembered it, the gardens lush and the bird life lyrical.

It was good to just do nothing much. We vegged at the pool in the shade reading, crocheting, and people watching. Matthew had his first dip of the season. His ability to swim underwater for the length of the pool fascinated the small group of children playing at the shallow end.

“You can’t even see where he is,” said one child in awe.

We were all chased indoors in the late afternoon when the wind whipped up thunder showers. Aah, a proper rain storm at last. A real blessing.

Doing very little

The time off and away was a useful reminder that breaks are necessary. We know that. Even though we really love our work and our home it can all get too much. The pencils get worn down. Energy levels dip.

A small moment in a different setting doing very little made all the difference. In a world where we push ourselves to go, go, go, slowing down can make us feel odd, guilty even. Getting away made it easier to accept that there was nothing to be completed, no chore to fulfil, no computer screen to entice us to sit in front of.

We were able to take a breath and reset. Ready for the new busy week and a year already rushing to a close. As Winnie the Pooh said:

Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.

Lesson well learnt – we are already looking for the next weekend to get away.

Until next time.

Yours in feeling,
Chantal & Matthew

Credits for this issue — Images: 5th Place