Those People

I was talking with a friend the other day.  It was the weekend and all she really wanted to do was kick back, watch TV and basically do nothing.  She got several invitations to go for a meal, a party and a movie.  She was telling me that she really didn’t want to do any of those things.  She also told me she thought she should.

I asked her if she was depressed.  She said no.  I asked her if she was happy with her choice to just be a ‘slug’.  She said yes.  So, I asked her “Why do you feel you should accept these invitations?”  Basically her answer was because she thought she should.

I would like to know who decided how much time we should devote to work.  How much time we should devote to play.  And, how much time we should devote to being productive.

We all should be monitoring ourselves.  Not defending or apologizing for how we allocate our time.  Of course, if all we are doing is working, or all we are doing is playing, then our lives do get out of balance.

But where is it written that the percentage of how we make these choices ‘should’ be a certain number?

I have to say that it is a pet peeve of mine that so many judge the activities and choices others make when it comes to down time.  If I want to play Words With Friends for hours, who is it hurting?  If someone else prefers to watch mindless TV shows during their relaxing time, who is it hurting?  And, if someone wants to take an afternoon nap?  Who is it hurting?

I believe we need more rest and relaxation time.  Time to let our minds wander.  Time to use our imagination.  Time to get lost in a good book.  Who said we have to be productive all the time?  That is, UNLESS we choose to.