Throughout the yeas since I graduated from college, I've called in a "Mental Health Day" once every six months or so. During my career days, I'd call in sick; since, I just pick a weekday with little to nothing scheduled, play my MHD card and stay home, getting my house in order in both the literal and figurative senses. I find these staycations both necessary and restorative. Today, a rainy and gray one, is just such a day. Having burned the candle at both ends all last week and weekend, and unable to look at the month-old pile of unfolded napkins draped over a railing in my dining room for one second longer, I purposefully did not put on a bra or brush my teeth before bringing the boys to school; this double-whammy of not-terribly-appropriate-beyond-home would surely keep me committed to returning home post haste after drop-off. And indeed it did.

So far, I have done and folded laundry and those pesky napkins; cleaned the kitchen; finally sorted and tossed much of an insane pile of crap, aka not critical mail/papers/drawings/hopeful lists/etc; taken a nap with Nutmeg; finally put away the last of the suitcases from spring break; and started in on de-pilling and -pethairing the 95% of my sweaters that are being packed away today. I've still not brushed my teeth or changed my outfit, and frankly, my slobby state feels awesome.

The soft patter of the constant drizzle outside is soothing, and because we spent so much time outside during this past very beautiful weekend, I feel no sadness that I can't be in my yard today.

One thing I noticed in CA was how utterly off the hamster wheel I felt. Surely this was in part because I was, but it's also because the pace does seem slower out there, at least in the beachy communities we called home for a week. It was as if I'd gone all amnesiac about regular life which A) made for a hell of a vacation, and B) reminded me that maybe a MHD was a bit overdue.

And so here I am, back on the couch after a half-hour cleaning sweaters and playing with the Nut. He's licking his paws next to me, Percy is hiding in the basement because I keep making him go outside to pee (hey- it's my couch otherwise) and he detests rain, and my halcyon abode is serenity, messy serenity, at its loveliest.