Right now, it’s Sunday night. I’m at Gabe’s house. We are sitting here watching TV and listening to music. Tomorrow is Columbus Day, so I don’t have to get up early for work tomorrow, and Sandy is at home because tomorrow is a holiday for her, so she will read and then go to sleep – so I can basically stay here as long as I want. I then realized that for the first time in a very long time in my life, my time is actually my own. I then realized that this must be that “relaxing” thing I have been hearing so much about.

Ah relaxing. I have heard so much about it for so long and vowed that one day soon I would actually experience it rather then just hear about it – and sure enough – that day has come.

As I sit here contemplating the fact that my body – and more importantly – my mind can actually go offline for a while and not be on “work auto pilot”, I am amazed at the fact that I can finally do what I have read so much about. That I can finally experience having literally nothing to do and nowhere to go – how wonderful.

It may sound funny to you – but I have been so incredibly busy lately that the mere thought of relaxing was but a fantasy. Between the busy DOB, the new season of Ring Fever – and my daily dose of South Park – I’m spent. So any chance I get to “relax” is no chance. Today – I got that chance. So what may sound silly to you sounds really good to me.

To me, relaxing is not just laying there doing nothing – it’s doing what I want. Right now, I am writing this column, which is my way of relaxing. See, even when I relax I have to be doing something – because I am not one to just lay there. So even though I am writing this, it is my way of relaxing. It’s not the fact that I have to be doing nothing for me to be relaxing – but just the fact that work wise – my mind can shut down.

My problem is I am a catch-22. I love the jobs I do but doing everything I do takes a lot of energy. So I enjoy all that I do but want more time to myself – what a paradox. Besides the fact that I am spent from all that I do – I always take on more stuff, and then complain even more. What’s up with that?

In all seriousness, however. I have to say that doing as much as I do has disciplined my body in many good ways. For one, when my alarm goes off, I am up and out of bed. There is no “snooze” or “five more minutes” – I just get up and go, so that I think is a good tool for someone on the go. Also, no one can tell me that they are too busy to do something. When you try to tell someone with three full time jobs and two or three more projects on the side that you don’t have enough time to do something when you work nine to five – I ain’t buying it. Third, and most importantly, the time I have to relax is very, very rare. So when I do get to enjoy these rare moments – they are never taken for granted and enjoyed even more.

Like right now.