Intro: Pounding bass note and a stirring fanfare of horns. Welcome to another edition of Things to Think about. Here's Stacy. The horns continue with a keyboard note held.
Relaxing piano music is in the background.
Welcome to the Things to Think About podcast, where we use fables and fairy tales to come to deeper truths about our subconscious world. I'm Stacy Casson and today's story explores the role of discipline. Last weekend I had a wonderful time with my family, but indulged in excesses and did not get out a podcast. My youngest is obsessed with productivity. Is there a balance? We will delve into systems and habits in a tale I call, “Weekend Warrior”. And now, get comfortable and relax. Take a deep breath in. And exhale. A deep breath in and exhale. A deep breath in and exhale. And if you'd like, you can slowly close your eyes.
Once upon a time, there was a very productive bear. Business Bear was a very regimented creature. Each day, they did the same thing. Wake up at the rooster’s crow, conduct bodily improvement exercises, have a nutritious breakfast, and then partake in a full and hectic workday. During the weekends, Business Bear transformed into a sloth. When the rooster crowed, they would snuggle back into the blankets and sleep in. After their very busy week, they “deserved” the extra rest. The exercise went out the window. Breakfast was an imbalanced jumble of coffee and “what can I make in five minutes because I am so hungry?!” The sun was high in the sky before Business Bear had even bathed. “Why am I doing this?” Their head was achy and despite sleeping in, they felt more tired than ever before.
During the week, Business Bear was a paradigm of productivity. They got more things done before the sun rose than some people did in a lifetime. Even their “vacations” were filled to the brim which was saying something since they were supposedly relaxing and enjoying their downtime. Business Bear struggled with rest since their mind never stopped thinking. The weekends were an overcorrection of course going from full steam ahead to three steps backward. All their hard work was demolished during the weekends. They had done a better job of leaving work at work on the weekends but the turns toward sloth meant they were failing themselves. They gave the best of themselves to the business of business leaving only the dregs.
Business Bear was an analytical sort and liked to solve problems. They decided to review the patterns and determined that the downward spiral began with a change in bedtime. Normally they were fastidious about getting enough sleep. When the weekend rolled around, they stayed up as late as they could as if to make up the lost time of all the things they missed while they worked. They realized they were missing nothing by this departure and losing more time due to their schedule being thrown off. What if instead of doing the same things in a warped time frame, they instead stuck to the schedule and gave themselves the flexibility of choice on the weekends?
Business Bear was going to experiment and take a real vacation. They went to bed at their usual time and awoke at their usual time despite it being a vacation. They enjoyed the sense of clarity achieved due to the lack of brain fog. This time they could be fully present for their morning exercise because they did not have to worry about punching a clock. The first night they once again stayed awake past their bedtime to enjoy the sites of the town. They awoke at their usual time and once again ducked back under the blankets. Their backup plan came into play and they were back on track. They had a loosely based itinerary of vacation milestones but allowed for moments of wonder and exploration. Back at home, the alarm went off.
Would you hit the snooze button? What does rest mean to you? And now you can take a deep breath in and exhale. A deep breath in and exhale. Deep breath in and exhale. And when you're ready, wiggle your toes. Wiggle your fingers and slowly open your eyes. If you're enjoying this podcast, please tell a friend.
Closing: Closing jazzy keyboard and thrumming bass. Hope you enjoyed today's segment. Tell a friend. See you next time. Music fades.
