Monday’s Leisure

“Everyone has the right to rest and leisure,”**

This past weekend I was utterly horrible.  I bit Cam’s head off three times, without cause or justification, and was generally short-tempered and caustic.  Sweet Cam took it all in stride, graciously forgave me each time despite, I’m sure, hurt feelings and some anger of his own.  I’ve no idea why, but it was an emotional rollercoaster of a weekend for me – anger jostling with joy for supremacy, commonly known as mood swings — a clear and present signal from my mind and body that a remedy is needed, forthwith.

My foolproof panacea is leisure time in nature – always has been, always will be.  A quality of experience that allows for repose and restoration.  

The concept of leisure can be a bit of a phantasm.  It is not recreation, which implies a specific activity.  Leisure is meant to be an escape both mentally and physically.  Of all the definitions I read, I liked Merriam-Webster’s the best:

“Freedom provided by the cessation of activities.”

Perhaps more for Cam’s benefit than my own, I desperately needed some leisure time today, without structure or objective of any kind.  The thing about the leisure in nature cure is that it’s like a gusty sigh; an instantly relaxing, fundamentally rewarding and endlessly calming exhale.  As he reads this page, Cam is likely heaving a sigh of relief of his own! 

I’ve always been a bit of a W.H. Davies fangirl.  I love that he chose, for a few years, to live as a hobo – on both sides of the pond.  I’ve always enjoyed his “Leisure” and I read it again last night before bed, for inspiration and encouragement.  The full text is at the bottom of this post.  

Leisure

“WHAT is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?”*

“No time to stand beneath the boughs,”*

“And stare as long as sheep and cows:”*

“No time to see, when woods we pass,”*

“Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:”*

“No time to see, in broad daylight”*

“Streams full of stars, like skies at night:”*

“No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,”*

“And watch her feet, how they can dance:”*

“No time to wait till her mouth can”*

“Enrich that smile her eyes began?”*

“A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.”*

‘Til next time, y’all…

*W. H. Davies

**Universal Declaration of Human Rights,  Article 24:  “Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.”

Leisure

WHAT is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?—
No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows:
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

(William Henry Davies was a Welsh poet and writer.)