Hard Work=Relaxing?

A few nights ago Herb and I were praying together (I know, it's wonderful that it's a habit now!). Herb was praying for me and asked that I would take the time I now have to relax. Then he followed up with "Or as it is for Katie, if she needs to get some work done, allow her to do that to feel more relaxed." This is a man who knows me all too well! I spent today, my day off, cleaning the house, cleaning out my pantry and junk drawer and doing some laundry. There was some relaxing in there too, but mostly some good hard work. And it felt good, and I feel so relaxed right now! My husband knows me...it's a good feeling to be known.

I know it sounds crazy to most that cleaning my house is a satisfying way to spend my day off, but I just love to sit in a clean house. It makes me feel so at ease to look around and realize that I am that much further from cleaning my house again. Somehow it gives me the feeling that there is more relaxing in my future than hard work.

Herb laughs at me because I claim that I'd rather do work now so I can rest later. His response "But you never relax later!" We joke, but of course there's often truth in the humor. But today I did relax later. I am currently sitting on my couch enjoying the D-backs win against the Dodgers, after having lost to Herb at Scrabble. I found relaxation in my hard work, at least for the day.

So as paradoxical as it may seem, hard work equals relaxing for me.