A day off.

By engaging in a delusive quest for happiness, we bring only suffering upon ourselves. In our frantic search for something to quench our thirst, we overlook the water all around us and drive ourselves into exile from our own lives. 

- Sharon Salzberg.

Instead of waiting for the weekend, I have decided to take the day off today and do almost nothing but sit behind the computer very leisurely with cups of hot coffee and glasses of ice cold lemonade. Which ones of these I have, depends on my energy and thirst levels. I carefully balance them out and know exactly what I need at which time of the day. 

I slept reasonably well last night, with only a small break in between shifts of sleep, and I got up rather late this morning and hung out for a long time in my bathrobe, because I needed at least two cups of coffee to get my engine started. 

I decided that it was going to be a lazy day after I finally took Tyke for a walk and did some little chores with a lick and a promise. There really was not that much to do that required my immediate attention and that could not wait until tomorrow when I will feel more active and when I will also have to do the groceries. 

I am looking forward to doing them, because now that I have stopped being a vegetarian, some kind of meat has become the main ingredient of my meals in the evenings and I do look forward to picking out the the different cuts and the best deals I can get. I repackage everything into separate portions that are large enough for me to eat at one sitting. 

Eating meat has done wonders for my intestinal system, which I had a huge problem with, and this has come as a great relief. I also braise all of the meat long enough in the heavy enamel pan so that it is moist and tender, and almost falls apart, so that it is easy to eat and I do not run into any problems with my gastric band. This way I can eat fairly large portions of it. 

I just realized that It was getting cold in here because the bedroom windows were still open. I was airing out the place because it was actually not that awfully cold outside today. The temperatures were above freezing and that might be called mild. I have closed the windows and turned on the heater because I was starting to shiver. 

It snowed yesterday, but today it is all gone and I say, "Good riddance" to that. I am all done with winter and I am very happy that I do not live in the harsh climate of some of the more extreme places of this earth.