have you ever just craved an hour of downtime? just an hour with a good book, a cup of tea (and when i say tea, i really mean a glass of wine, but you get the idea), an hour on the couch, just hanging out?

i just now had an hour to do that, and honestly, i found out that you really only need 20 minutes of that to feel like a million bucks. in fact, after about 15 minutes, i started to look at the clock. so, don't we all have 20 minutes to just sit and reflect? i didn't even reflect ~ i read real simple magazine. i tore out some cute fall clothes ideas. i had the tv off, no music, i was even drinking plain ole water. just 15 or 20 minutes is really all it takes.

i didn't really know this because i used to always turn on the tv when i wanted to relax. in fact, i tried to turn the tv on just now, but the remote was acting up and i gave up on it. (how lazy can a girl be?) but i think i knew it was the wrong thing to do. see, it's totally okay to have a little tv downtime. it's fine! but, one thing i have definitely learned is that it takes a LOT more time in front of that tv to regroup and reset, if that's what you're looking for, than it does if you're reading or blogging, or just looking out the window.

in my recent experience, 15 minutes with a book or magazine is equal to an hour of tv. and at the end of that hour, i'm cranky about having to turn it off. i always want more. when i emerge from a reading session, i definitely want more reading, but feel like i really treated myself as well.

this is all coming from a die-hard, completely addicted tv lover. i grew up during the best sitcom era ever ~ the cosby show, laverne and shirley, the brady bunch, the carol burnett show. i will always love tv because of those shows. i have an occasional show that i'm just in love with right now, but i'm learning how to turn the tv off, after i've watched my beloved show, rather than just letting the tv run all night.

i have absolutely no judgment about this subject. it's all a case-by-case basis. it's like having a coffee or tea preference. but the joy and peace i just felt after only a few minutes spent in silence, just had to be shared.

i have a performance tonight, and i feel totally rested and ready to conquer the stress that comes with this very strange vocation i've found myself in.