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Someone told me my spirit animal is a giraffe riding a road bike. It’s a shame I don’t believe in spirits. Or giraffes.
The bike thing is dead-on, though. I have plans for it this summer.
Remember the old “Seinfeld” episode “The Summer of George”?
George was all about making radical changes in his life for the betterment of his wellbeing. OK, he was just being super lazy because he got fired, but still.
George was on to something. Between shifts at whatever job we manage to grab, we have ample opportunity to do the stuff we’ve been putting off. Even if all we’ve been putting off is laziness.
We should already be thinking about how to fill our newly acquired schedule gaps. My primary prescription would be to do nothing at all. You worked hard this semester, so take a few days to chill.
If you insist on doing things, pick the activities that require minimal effort. Napping is good. So is napping outside. Clothes are optional.
I admire George’s philosophy. He was intentional. He knew what he wanted and he made it happen. It’s like the power of positive thinking, but instead of being newage nonsense, it actually works.
Even if your goal is as lazy as sitting in the sunshine, sipping a margarita from your Klean Kanteen, you have to make it happen. No one is going to mix your cocktail for you. Except those people who are paid to mix cocktails for other people, I guess they work at bars.
Make a plan, however simple it may be, and put it into action. Even if it’s just a list of “Private Practice” episodes you want to watch again. I made that list for myself. It was easy — I wanted to watch all of them.
Lists are nice because they’re scalable. Every item added equals more lazy time spent.
I’ve been working on a bigger plan, though. I can finance a spontaneous European bike tour if I sell my car. I figure I’ll fly into Italy, pick up a slightly used Bianchi and ride it to Belfast. Yes, I will be riding on water. Twice. Tires have air in them, they float.
Is it a bad plan? Maybe. When I get back, what am I going to leave parked on the street for six-month stretches because I can get anywhere I need to go on foot or bike? Not my car. I would have sold it.
I’m starting to make contingency plans. What if I start a small business selling organic orange juice to moms? That could easily pay for a trip to Milan. Keeping my car will maintain my current function quotient. But the juice plan has too many variables.
These plans are getting convoluted. Plus, they’re taking up valuable lazy time.
Randy Davenport can be reached at
entertainmenteditor@theorion.com
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