I had a bajillion

things to do

after I finally got

the wee one

to bed

after several

mistaken morning cat naps

I thought

I’ll never get her down!

But when I did

I rushed downstairs

to open boxes

best friends sent

for my bday

a mystery friend

sent a box of Levain cookies

which I immediately

had to hide from Matt

who dove into the box first

to take a nibble

off of each cookie

(which I’ve found to be sent by my sweet friend Sarah!)

and I opened another box

whoopeee!

(actually, I hate boxes…Amazon ruined the box on your doorstep novelty)

much to my surprise

a seasonal tea club

but not just any tea club

a super luxury hocus pocus hand roasted

this that and the other

with journaling prompt cards

and beautiful stories

about each tea

included

it’s a wow gift

not an Amazon get well soon tea box

(Thank you Marci Tatham!!!!!)

I thought

now that I’ve opened these boxes

let’s open up Pinterest

to discover beautiful ways

to wrap bouquets of flowers

but no!

let me do the dishes first

and I scrubbed

and ran the dishwasher

and looked down at my shirt

only to discover

avocado smeared all over me

and I looked outside my kitchen window

at my beautiful garden

and the sunshine

and thought

the sun and noon will disappear if I wait too long to enjoy it

I should go out and sit in it

and do nothing

but enjoy a cup of tea

but first

I need to run my shirt up to the laundry

and throw a load in

and upon coming back downstairs

to enjoy my cuppa perfectly steeped and ready to go

and sit in the garden

I looked at a massive amethyst crystal

my brother gifted us

for our wedding

and I thought

it must be moved

across the living room

and this isn’t just a crystal

it’s a CRYSTAL

like 150 lbs

so I dragged it on my own

across the floor

(scraping the wood floor)

to try it in several new spots

and I think I found the right spot for it

and I look outside at my garden again

and think

now’s the time, Emily!

and I see the Levain cookies on the counter

and I think

they must be chopped

into single servings

bagged and labeled and frozen

for future enjoyment

and lunchboxes!

(I know, I think I got Entenmann’s in my lunchbox if I was lucky)

choppity chop chop

cookies all in their rightful bags, labeled

and now

tea in the garden!!!!!!!!!!

but let me grab my laptop

and move my office outside

so I can write to you all

to tell you about

my journey to doing nothing.

Which is so so hard for me

because I’m looking across the way

at a wood cabinet shed thing

that’s really quite beautiful

but the back of it is rotting

and I think

yes, it may fall one day

so I should consider

(I’ve already made up my mind)

building a new beautiful shed

with planters

in this area

to store our stuff away

like bikes

and sports equipment

and outdoor toys

and doodads that don’t make it into the trash

because we’ve used them in the past 6 months

and I see the gas line hookup

(or is it propane?)

for our grill

which we’ve been postponing doing

because there’s lots to do

on a day when you say

I shall do nothing!

And sit in my beautiful garden

and admire my roses

and birdsong

and sunshine

and tea from my best friend

Gee whiz I wonder if there’s ever a time

when we’re really

doing nothing.

You know

sometimes I think

it’s really small-minded

and out of touch

to say

a woman

in a beautiful house

in a beautiful garden

with a perfect cup of tea

has not a care in the world

but as you can see

I care quite a bit

and I’m nibbling my fingernails

in worry

or maybe just a deep curiosity

or recognition

that no matter who we are

or what we have

or how great the view is

or how perfect the cup of tea is

we all have life

zinging through our heads

(and months+ that feel like the worst seasons of life with death sicknesses being passed from one person to the next over and over)

and we all deserve

rest

and a break

and sometimes

you just need to stash the laptop away

and enjoy the last bit of sunshine

when your husband walks out

and says

I love you

and

sits down next to you

on the picnic bench

and says

lets look at plane tickets

and go to Scotland.

(Yes, we booked a trip and we’re going in August!!! I would love your recommendations! Flying in and out of Edinburgh, 12 days, we’re bringing the kids.)