Here are some of my favorite ways these days to take a "mental margarita" and just tune out of life for a while. (Actually having a margarita is another good way to do it. Especially if you add nachos.)
1. I love a good character drama so I'm having fun catching up on some old tv shows on netflix these days. My favorite right now is West Wing. The intensity and seriousness with which these very important people take their lives makes me thankful for my relative obscurity and how little room there is for "spin" in my life. That being said, the drama, the dialogue, the way the inner-workings of the machine are exposed: all of it is so well done. Even though the clothes and computers are a bit dated, I am willing to overlook it for the pure splendor of this show. I can't remember why I never got past season five, but I'm thankful I didn't so I can watch now. Of course, Downton Abby, too. We must not forget Downton Abby.
2. I've taken to surfing real estate with my sweetheart. This is actually his addiction, but he's kind of getting me into it now. My friend called it "real estate porn" the other day, and it IS surprising how addictive it is. Are we in the market? Maybe. Sort of. Not really. It doesn't really matter. We sure as shoohoongas will be ready to jump if the right house (read cheap) in the right place (probably Wisconsin) happens to come along. Keep in mind that we live in Hong Kong and have no plans at present to leave.
3. Doing jigsaw puzzles puts you in the zone like nothing else does. It's just you and 500 or so tiny pieces. Nothing makes me more mindful (and sometimes more frustrated) than doing a killer puzzle. Right now I am working on the Hong Kong skyline. Those damn purple sunsets are killing me, but my freshly-scrubbed-of-worries mind is thanking me.
4. "Surfing" my Kindle is my latest sport. I've downloaded enough books and magazines to keep me going for a long time so I can flit from one thing to the next, without guilt. With a book, somehow you feel like you have to plow your whole way through the thing once the tome is in your hand Also, it could be buried under a stack of rubble at any time. But with my Kindle, I slowly amble through my many on-the-go projects, and I find I really take in what I am reading in a much deeper way. I never thought I'd be the gal who would give in to electronic reading, but I'm juicing up my kindle fire as I write so I can take it along to my doc's appointment.
5. Just lying around has become my go-to activity. For those of you who know me, this will surprise you. Even when I am just lying around (which sadly I've had to do a fair bit of in my life because of aforementioned back issues), I am still always busy with something. Since my surgery, I've learned (been forced) to just lie and watch and breathe while doing nothing. Early on this was because I was unable to do anything on my own and I couldn't get any of the nursing staff to help me. So I would just lie (and fume). I am not someone who naps (even as an infant it was out of my purview), so instead I just lie and breathe and watch the world happen around me, or watch the paint peel (which it is) as the case may be. It's amazingly relaxing. I feel that I may be on my way to Buddhahood with this one, or I am at least loosing my tight-fisted grip on my multi-tasking mentality.
That's it, folks. I'm going to go do one of the activities I just wrote about. It would be nice if I could do it combined with a margarita and some spicy Mexican food. A gal can dream.
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