There’s downtime, and Then There’s “Downtime”
I typically think of downtime as time when I’m doing nothing. It could be literally sitting in a comfy spot staring into space, or knitting, or watching a movie while knitting, or listening to an audiobook while knitting, or just reading for fun. Because I do read for work, which is fun, but certainly not downtime.
And then there’s downtime when you’re actually actively doing a shit-ton of stuff but it’s all fun stuff and relevant to a sense of recharge and reset. It could be going to an amusement park, or a pool/ the beach, or taking a hike. It’s strenuous and exhausting but doesn’t really require you to be “on.” It’s just for funsies.
And then there’s this upcoming weekend.
If you’ve been following along, you know this coming weekend is Charm City Romanticon. And while all the things I’ve been doing leading up to it have been the polar opposite of downtime, I have a strange feeling my brain will register the actual event as a rejuvenating reset. Exhausting but fulfilling. And I’m not sure if that qualifies as downtime or if I’m putting in that box because I need it to be.
Charm for me is going to be a lot of work. I have no illusions about that. But it also has this feeling of impending excitement and glee. It’s like Julie, Rhon, Susy, and I have planned this party and it’s going to be the balm our souls need to channel energy from the universe to power through the rest of the year. Because what could ever be better for my bookwyrm soul than to be amidst so many enthusiastic romance readers and authors. To see their joy at seeing each other. To watch the connections build between attendees across the entire continuum of Romancelandia.
I’m sure the “real” downtime will come after, when I am forced to sit my ass on the couch and not move so my body can physically recover. It will come in the form of tea and books and yarn and 98 pound pupper cuddles. It will come in the form of extra sleep because the stress of planning a huge event won’t be waking me up four times a night with things I suddenly remembered needed to be done.
It will likely come after a debrief of the how and the why. A lookback at the who and the what. And hopefully a look forward to another when and where. But it will come. Because I will require it of myself. Sometimes the most amazing things happen in the blank spaces. The downtime. However we define it.
