“Just relax Mom!” my daughters would tell me, even going so far as to say the word backwards for emphasis “xaler!”
That’s easy for them to say, I would think. I have all this work to do. One day, when they’re adults, they’d understand. And then we’d see who had time to relax!
I was raised in a household where I don’t remember my parents doing much relaxing. Both my mom and my dad were very disciplined and orderly. Chores first was their mantra. We were fortunate enough to take long vacations each summer. But those vacations involved camping, hiking, visiting historical sites and LOTS of driving. We often took Sunday drives, the three of us kids lined up in the back seat. The youngest, my brother, usually sandwiched in the middle. Those drives didn’t shout “relax” to me. But maybe my parents thought they were relaxing.
Which brings me to a revelation I experienced on a recent vacation. Maybe it’s possible to relax even if you’re not reclining in the sun or assuming a prone position on the couch. Maybe relaxing means something different to everyone. Some people enjoy sitting in a lounge chair by the pool or at the beach.
I do not. I would rather swim or snorkel or bogie board or walk or run or bicycle.
I looked up the word relax. The first definition is: to make lax or loose; make less tight. Hmm – doesn’t apply to my daughters’ admonition to me to relax. I turned to my trusty Thesaurus where I found these possible synonyms to relax: unwind, take a break, stop work, decompress.
Aha! I love when my revelations ring true! Any one of my activities would qualify under the word relax.
So…whatever relax means to you, I hope you find time to do it sometime this weekend. Go ahead. Relax already!
