There is nothing like a nor’easter to give a body the perfect excuse to lounge about the house all day in pajamas. Oh, who really needs torrential rains for that?

Not the boy and I. We would gladly vegetate the day away in our jammies, reading books and watching movies, playing board games, tucked safely away from civilization. The boy would never dress on the weekend if I didn’t pry those pajamas off him.

The trouble with a lovely day is the trauma of expectations, not necessarily yours. There is the expectation that one shouldn’t waste a beautiful day indoors. I really hate this manner of thinking. A day – any day – should be spent the way one so chooses. Not the way all those annoyingly active people who run solely in packs would deem appropriate. It aggravates me to no end that I sometimes buy into this unwritten commandment and because I buy into it, I often torment myself by racing hither and yon when I’d be perfectly content to stay put. Mind you I have fun out in the world. I’m no curmudgeon (or at least not completely so).

Still, I think we have sufficient people time between the massive commuting, the long days at school, the trips to the market, etc. We know when enough is enough, I like to think. While we like a sunny day as much as the next Pollyanna,  we love, love, love a good thunderstorm – provided we don’t have to be out slopping about in it. The prospect of bad weather simply makes the opportunities for alone time that much more titillating. No one expects you to go out in a soupy mess.

On Saturday, we had people time. And like Goldilocks and her porridge, we know when it's just right. I know I can be a tad on the compulsive side when it comes to scheduling, so I did my best to tone it down. Instead of the forced march through a rigid schedule of activities, we strolled through the day. Much more relaxing. We wandered through the farmer’s market, where we got a nice rosemary-garlic goat cheese and a boule of peasant wheat bread, before ambling over to the Long Meadow to play a few lazy innings of our version of two-man softball. Later we took in TNMT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for those who are shockingly not in the know) at the UA Court, then hopped the train home to flop on the floor in front of the tube. A very nice day indeed out in the world.

Yet, we must confess we were like a couple of kids let loose in the candy store when the rain started falling in great, heaving sheets. The raindrops beating on the window panes put me out better than Lunesta. I assumed command of the couch, curling up with my journals and my magazines and my books. I was done. My kid was the same.

Pretty soon, the old man wasn't the only one snoring.

Posted on April 17, 2007 - by