An Ode to Being Lazy

A few weeks ago I could feel the first onset of a cold, which was not surprising as this is the time of year that my body decides to just give up any semblance of defending me from the onslaught of viruses and bacteria and let me succumb to their illnesses and ailments. The winters here in Nagano kill me.

So when I woke up on Friday morning instead of jumping from my bed with joy at the prospect of a new day full of possibility, I awoke to a throat full of razor blades and a cough that sounded like Godzilla on a bad day. With every rasping breath my throat felt like it was being sandpapered. I managed to get up and get ready for work but around lunchtime I decided that it was time to call it a day and head back home to lie in my bed and hope to feel better. So after asking for the afternoon off I quickly headed through to the dentist to cancel my appointment for later that day before heading home and gladly falling into my bed’s embrace.

Now normally I’d be rather sad and despondent that my weekend would see me spending the majority of my time in my PJs and my bed, but instead I found myself enjoying being lazy and not having to worry at all about not doing a single lick of work or having and responsibilities for an entire weekend.

The preceding weeks had seen me travelling too and from Tokyo over my weekends and the endless 3 .5 bus rides and constant travelling on the trains in Tokyo are pretty tiring! So part of my relief was that for two full days I wouldn’t have to squeeze myself into overcrowded trains or deal with throngs of people crowding into every tourist site in Tokyo.

The fact that my Netflix queue was jam-packed with awesome shows was also another reason that I was looking forward to staying at home. There is nothing better than just lying in bed and watching the entirety of Orange is the New Black. Maybe this is the pinnacle of technology?

With spring and summer finally making their long-awaited appearance in Japan it’s also one of the last chances I’ll have to sleep in late and not feel bad about it. When warmer weather arrives I’ll be spending more time hiking and jogging outdoors rather than being closed in my apartment. Winter is definitely the worst time of year for me mentally speaking. The endless cold days with nothing to do other than staying indoors with gaming or books being your only source of entertainment always put me in a more depressed frame of mind. Coming from South Africa where the weather is really mild, even during the height of winter, it takes a lot to try to get used to snow and freezing cold subzero temperatures.

What I ended up understanding once Monday rolled around is that sometimes we need to try to take time for ourselves, especially nowadays when we’re more connected through SNS and our jobs are becoming more and more of a burden on our everyday lives. Sometimes it’s good for us to disconnect and just relax and at the end of it all we deserve to spoil ourselves, even if it’s for only a short time or with something small. The important thing is that we should realize when to let go and unwind, rather than burning out our minds and bodies.

• Personal