I would love to be able to say that home after a trip is productive, but more often than not, my brain is on the mushy IMG_20151006_063556side.  Unfocused. Scattered.

And, of course, my Inner Critic is nasty and demanding.

Demanding that I shake off the exhaustion. Demanding I deal with five loads of laundry. Demanding that I hurry up, get dressed, and tackle the necessary errands. The fridge will not render another meal without a trip to the grocery store, because as creative as I am in the kitchen, a package of feta cheese and a carton of orange juice makes nothing of nutritional value. And speaking of laundry, there are clothes at the dry cleaners awaiting my arrival and clothes to drop off.

Oh. And the first load of laundry may be spinning, but there’s no way to get through all five loads without more fabric softener. Which means a Target run….and while I’m on that side of town, I may as well hit Lowes to get some chicken wire to protect my newly planted bulbs from the chipmunks.

My Inner Critic reminds me that a few short years ago, when I lived at a busier pace, I would have ignored the fuzziness and the exhaustion and just charge ahead.

And then, the Wise and Peaceful Warrior inside reminds me that I long ago chose to stop living at a crazed pace. That though we were on vacation, it wasn’t as if we were laying on the beach and sipping cocktails with little umbrellas. No, we walked at least ten miles each day, an activity level my body isn’t used to lately.

The goal for the day, then, must be to do what my mind tells me NOT to. To slow down and rest. To enjoy my second cup of coffee and drink more water. Because an exhausted body needs to be hydrated. And I cannot create with an overtired mind.

So today must become dedicated not to doing, but recovering.

A load or two not all five. A little reading in my chair. A small number of errands instead of all of them. And remember that all of these things can be done tomorrow.