Serving the High Plains

Thomas Garcia: Events are fun, but downtime is better

QCS Columnist

The holidays are always a hectic time but even more so for me this weekend.

Don’t get me wrong. I had a lot of fun as I made my way around the county covering various events for the Fourth of July.

Though I can honestly say the best-feeling moment for me was on Saturday night when I took off my shoes and made my way to bed.

I got to see some old friends, hang out with people who mean a lot to me and see fireworks. It was a win all the way around.

Although when I sat on the couch late Saturday — OK, so it was more like early Sunday — I felt an instant amount of joy when I took off those shoes. The joy was probably prompted by the fact that I wasn’t going anywhere for at least eight hours.

You know the feeling right? When you get home after going all the places you planned and get to relax. That moment when you sit down in your spot and let your body go limp.

You could stay in that spot forever. It’s perfect, it’s wonderful and it’s right there — no need to go anywhere.

Of course that only lasts for a few moments because you either have to put something up, get food or, in my case, feed the cats.

My two cats, Toby and Brownie, are always happy to see me when I get home. When I get home from being gone for a day or so they really pour on the loving and then make sure to ask for food the minute they hear that sigh of relief.

It’s funny when I think about it, but I’ve slowly been becoming who I said I wouldn’t be 10 years ago. When I was 25, I was always out doing something and ready to go in a moment’s notice.

Stay at home and just sit on a couch reading a book or watching a movie? Why I would laugh at the thought.

I was not going to be one of those guys; I was going to be young forever. I’d spend my days working and nights partying. Of course back then I was able to get along with just three hours of sleep and be ready for the next adventure.

I’m not really sure how I did that. I often think back to what my dad said: “You better slow down. You’re going to wear yourself down.”

Well, Dad, point taken. Sure it’s 10 years later, but hey I had to learn the hard way.

Nowadays I often debate if I want to eat or take a nap at lunch.

Now I’m not saying that I’m home by 6 p.m. or in bed by 9 p.m. Oh no, I’m still out late, but most of the times it’s due to work.

There are some weekends when I go out and relive those careless 20s followed by the next-day 30s.

Honestly I was thinking about a nap when I was writing this column. I would not have gotten much rest though. Brownie would be jumping on me wanting to know why I was home so early and Toby, well, he’d be in the hallway waiting for treats.

So I decided the best thing to do was continue on, finish this column and the other work so I could get home and finally take off my shoes.

It may be a simple action that we all do every day, but for me and maybe some others it’s a way of saying, “Good day’s work; take a break.”

Of course that break is short lived because for me it’s only Monday.

Thomas Garcia is the senior writer for Quay County Sun. Contact him at: [email protected]

 
 
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