Rooftop Toast!

Finding ourselves dateless and craving a stress free New Year’s Eve, my friend Susan and I decided to celebrate the passing of 2016 with a relaxing movie marathon sleepover.

We scheduled massages in the afternoon of the 31^st, saw a movie and then she came to my place. We talked of life, shared stories, listened to music, made a sumptuous dinner of braised lamb shanks, and drank a little Champagne. (And by ‘a little’ I mean a lot!) Then we watched the famous Dick Clark’s Annual New Year’s Riveting Rocking Rolling Eve with RyanSeacrest Celebration. (Is the title of the program long enough?) After toasting to the New Year while surveying Buckhead atop my building, we cranked up the music and danced the year out!

The next day when we were still in our pajamas mid-afternoon Susan, a corporate executive energizer bunny with a Ph.D. (classic overachiever) said something about us being lazy and not doing anything all day!

Au contraire mon ami! (“To the contrary my friend!” in French. Sometimes I pontificate in other languages!) I had to explain we had no reason to feel guilty as we’d actually accomplished a tremendous amount! I enumerated the many worthwhile things we’d accomplished while still in PJ’s!

• We enhanced our health by sleeping late. Sleeping is the way your body heals and your brain reboots so it’s not only helpful but required for health.
• We exercised our intellect by reading the paper while sipping coffee. (One of my favorite exercises!) We even perused a couple magazines.
• We supported our social needs by talking to each other. A lot! This strengthens friendship and research shows that strong friendships are vital to health!
• We heightened our spiritual lives by pulling Angel Cards, sharing the corresponding inspirational readings and examining the meaning for our 2017 lives.
• We enriched ourselves culturally by experiencing arts and entertainment in the form of watching a couple movies. OK, we decided against the sub-titled foreign film in favor of a slapstick romantic comedy. (We were watching solely for the purpose of critique of the genera and analysis of the storyline!) We also watched a true story based on a historical event thereby throwing in a little history lesson.
• We transferred knowledge and skill as she instructed me in in proper pretty omelet making.
• We nourished our bodies with the afore-mentioned omelets. And a few other things!

As you can see we had a very productive day as we experienced a one-day mind/body/spirit retreat.

Sometimes, experiences just need to be named. Or reframed. The next time you feel guilty for being ‘lazy,’ ‘unproductive,’ or ‘doing nothing,’ shift your perspective. You may actually be experiencing a retreat that’ll leave you refreshed, relaxed and more creative!

MWM

Myra McElhaney is an author and speaker. You can contact her at Myra@MyraMcElhaney.com and find her latest book, Building A life You Love After Losing the Love of Your Life on Amazon.com