Recently, I have been thinking that my everyday existence has become so encrusted by what I need to do (at work, at home, for others, for myself), that even if I am given a free day, I might not spend it in a meaningful way.
Imagine a message board covered with dozens of colorful post-its - this is my day. It is predetermined and prescribed. The colorful post-its contain absolutely no meaningful instructions and reminders. They contain useless, but salary-generating activities.
Absurdly, at my age (post mid-life), “meaningful” evokes the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. A day of no worries, no obligations and no plans might be the most meaningful day I could treat myself to. It would be a day of pleasant surprises, a day of abandon.
The main character in the movie, Ferris, says, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
Long ago (before I had my daughter), I was on the bus to work, and next to me were five teenagers commuting to school. A girl shared that her mom would be giving her an excuse note, so that they could go to an amusement park. Her buddies concluded that this was one cool mother. I did too, silently. I also thought that one day, when I have a child I would do something similar.
Forward 17 years, and my teenager has never had her Ferris Bueller day off, with or without my cooperation.
This past Holiday season, after reflecting on my finances and our family timeline, I realized that we were strapped to the current routine for at least a couple of years. This is tough, since I cannot stand monotony, especially a meaningless one. Probably no one can endure monotony, even if it is a paradise-like monotony.
What is the point of opening my eyes in the morning, if I am to fall into my exact yesterday’s routine? Even in the movie Groundhog Day, the replay of the day incorporates some sort of evolution and improvement of the main character.
At present, my reality is directed by the mantra “save, invest, repeat, think of a hustle, save, repeat, …”. Lots of blah. I do not need to be disciplined about my everyday activities - I am already a disciplined person. And since I am already “in check”, I believe that I need to “uncheck” once in a while and take a Ferris Bueller day off.
How about you? Have you ever taken a Ferris Bueller day off?
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