Friday, August 02, 2013

No Do Days


A friend had a stepfather she didn't particularly like very much. I think her feelings were fairly conflicted on that matter as he was very good to her mother. He'd been a lifelong bachelor and only married her mother when he was in his mid-sixties after his own mother died. He was handsome but fairly boring and came from an old Toronto family and still had the airs and graces (but alas no wealth) which went a long way to attracting her mother.

The marriage lasted over thirty years and ended upon his death in his mid-nineties. He never had any of the worldly worries that beset most of us. His mother took care of him. She died. Then his newfound wife took over. Hardly a wrinkle on him, full head of white hair. Tall.

Anyway the point of all this backstory is to bring the title of this post into play. This man never worked up a sweat over anything. He often took to sulking in his car when his wife wanted to visit her adult children.

BUT, a couple of times a week he would declare "A No Do Day" and we would have a bit of a hoot about this as he never lifted a finger on any day. No Do Days were days spent in his pyjamas and sleeping a lot to recover from, well, what he viewed as stress. We could never figure out what stress. It's all subjective I suppose. He would work himself up into a lather now and again if it came to even making a decision about getting a new vacuum cleaner. Or car. Or phone. Or selling his bit of stock. He would take to his bed and No Do for a a whole day. No Do meant no thinking also.

Maybe that's why he lived to 95 with no wrinkles and a full head of hair and lovely erect posture. No Do Days.

So I declared one today. It's a gorgeous day out there. And I haven't been outside. And my lovely comfy pyjamas are still on me. And I asked the dog to run around the meadow in lieu of. And she did. I've bored you all with her brilliance. She just takes care of herself when I ask her to. And now she's lying on the deck slobbering over a big bone given to her by one of her adoring aunties.

And what DID I do? Well, nothing. I didn't even cook but reheated leftovers. And watched Sons of Anarchy Season 2 recommended by a good friend who, like me, loved The Wire and The Sopranos. Not for the faint of heart but appealing to those of us with a good slice of darkness in our souls.

No Do.

Try it.


24 comments:

  1. I haven't had a no do day in a long time, but did used to have them often. Maybe that's why I don't have them now anymore. Besides, I don't have a meadow for Tyke to take himself out in.

    Usually sensitive people do need a day of recovery time every once in a while to nurture themselves and recharge their batteries. I think maybe I take times out more often than you do. I have the opportunity to.

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  2. I had many no do days until 2 months ago when I moved in to my mom's home. She's 76 and does everything around her house including all the heavy out door yard work as well. Mom doesn't let anyone in her house have a no do day unless they are physically ill. I'm lucky if she doesn't wake me before 10. I'm 56 and have alot more years of employment ahead of me & a no do day is something I'll long for until momma starts to slow down herself. Then perhaps we can have one together.

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  3. Irene:

    I'm really enjoying this. I even had a long nap where my father came back for a visit. Frozen at the age of 84. A much nicer man.

    XO
    WWW

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  4. Cheri Aileen:

    Oh I do hope you manage to take one. It must be hard living with mama and her rules. I would find it very difficult.

    Though having said that I must say I miss my mother most dreadfully and she never made it out of her fifties.

    XO
    WWW

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  5. Love the name of it! No Do Days. Perfect!

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  6. I occasionally have a No Do Day, but there is nobody here to know about it! ;)

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  7. GM:

    Ah you have to announce it to all your blog buddies.... :)

    XO
    WWW

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  8. As for me, I live on Hawaiian time, meaning I pace myself.
    Interesting to read about a man left over from the days of total entitlement for some men. I knew a few of them. As long as they weren't smokers and drinkers they lasted forever because they were so well looked after.

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  9. Hattie:

    Yes he was perfectly preserved by women.

    XO
    WWW

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  10. Every day is a no no day for me WWW! You will inevitably find me at home in my lungi and vest and quite content. The world come to me and I am unapologetic about that life style. I find it tedious to dress up and go out!

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  11. Ramana:
    I doubt if you do nothing as in don't read or talk or exercise or cook or write.....
    XO
    WWW

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  12. Me? I am a master at the art of No-Do (sounds like japanese artwork) It’s not that I don’t do anything on the Do-Do (sounds like, well do-do) days, but the No-Do days are special. On No-Do days I do all the things that come under the heading of pure pleasure, the no-work-all-play days.

    Will I get to 95 on this regime?

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  13. Friko:

    195 more like!!

    I love your definition.

    XO
    WWW

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  14. I call those pajama days. I get up, put on some pjs and pretty much lounge around reading and watching movies and eating snacks.

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  15. You are quite right. That would be impossible. What I do do is what we call timepass here! http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=timepass

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  16. Fabulous idea. Perhaps I should manage my stress that way, too.

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  17. He lived to 95! Obviously we could all do with a lot more No-Do days to increase our lifespan. Though I'm not sure I actually want to live to 95, I think I'd be bored to death by then.

    I agree with Irene that very sensitive people do get stressed and do need more quiet periods than others. They may not look stressed but you never know exactly what goes on in someone else's psyche.

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  18. My father lived till he was 96, but he never had a no do day as his raison de etre was to give grief to people around him and if he couldn't think of anything to give them grief about, he would invent something! By the way, www, I am sitting in Port Au Port area of NFL ( near cape St.George right now and the sea is like a millpond and the sun is beating down on me as I write. You cannot be far away from here. You must live very close to St.Johns!! Been there many times!

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  19. Ramana:

    Timepass, oh brilliant. Will quote this..
    XO
    WWW

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  20. BG:

    Where HAVE you been? I've missed you, still blogging?

    XO
    WWW

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  21. Nick:

    Us introverts need a lot of downtime. I know I do. And you too, I suspect.

    XO
    WWW

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  22. Barath:

    You're in NL? Oh my!! Anywhere near St. John's?? Are you related to my blog buddy Ramana??

    If you're near SJ we could possibly have a coffee or meal?

    Email me at wisewebwoman(at)gmail.com and I will give you my phone number

    XO
    WWW

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