PJ Day…Write here, right now!

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Write Here, Write Now.”

It is the weeks long-awaited Saturday Morning. Hoorah! The week has ended and we finally have time to do whatever we want. The possibilities are endless. Will this be a chore day? How about focusing on eliminating the pile of laundry? Will the day be full of errands to the grocery, dry cleaners, salon and the gym? How do you plan to spend your day?

I hear friends and colleagues asking each other, ” Any fun plans for the weekend?” The responses are typical, a birthday party, a football game, errands and chores.  My favorite response that I have ever heard from a friend was

“I am declaring this weekend, Pajama Days!” I thought what a perfect new holiday.

Sleep in, get up take a shower, put a fresh pair of PJ’s including slippers and a plush fleece robe . If your house is anything like mine, laying around will make you cold. Make your way to the kitchen. This plan must include some planning from the day before by going to the grocery store buying as many ingredients for comfort food as possible. The brown paper bag filled with ingredients for, pancakes, cinnamon rolls and a one-pot wonder recipe that you can slowly simmer all day long. It might sport a few chocolates, bottle of merlot and some chips.

Part of the shopping strategy is to make sure you have ingredients that are easy to cook and have great aroma filling your circle with pleasure. My favorite one-pot wonder for a day like this is a good beef stew. The slow braise of the chunks of meat, carrots, potatoes, peas, garlic, onions and basil in a perfect red wine, fills my space with an aroma that immediately makes your mouth water.

An important detail to a pajama day, is access to movies. The perfect movie, streamed, popped int the VCR or rented from the Red Box can charter your journey for hours. The selection requires thought for your day of comfort. Blood, guts or horror is out. The movie must take you on a journey or path that leads to warmth and coziness. This might mean something different for everyone. On a PJ Day, an all time favorite of mine is Under the Tuscan Sun. I can get wrapped up in my italian culture and the theme of that movie for hours each time as though it is the first.

The last fundamental aspect of the perfect PJ Day, is to do those things that are comforting and that you enjoy. There is no to-do list, no expectations, no chores, not reading research, no diet, no exercise. A day focused on healing. Healing of your mind, body and spirit recovering from day-to-day life what challenges that brings for each of us.

Reflecting on this story, I have just declared a new habit for 2015 is establishing the policy that 1 day a month is PJ Day! This will become an essential component to living in my temenos circle.

I hope you do too.

Write Here, Write Now