by Joyce
Following up on Annette's post yesterday--
If money were no object, what would your perfect day be like? Would you spend it writing in your villa in Tuscany? Reading on a beach somewhere? Or as simple as doing nothing at all?
I can think of a lot of ways to spend a perfect day, so I'll choose a couple.
1. If I had that bed and breakfast in Gettysburg I mentioned yesterday, I'd get up early to put the orange pecan french toast and the bacon cheese frittata that I prepared the night before into oven. I'd put a pot of coffee on (with freshly ground beans, of course) and arrange assorted baked goods purchased from a local bakery on a platter for my guests. After breakfast, knowing that my two perfect part-time helpers would have the guest rooms in order, I'd retire to the library to work on my latest bestseller (hey, a girl can dream!), while my hubby heads for his workshop where he's building some lovely oak tables. The rest of the day depends on what activities are going on in town and/or the battlefield.
2. We're snowed in at our cabin in the mountains. There's a fire in the wood burning stove, homemade soup and bread in the kitchen, beer and wine in the refrigerator. While the soup simmers, I curl up with my laptop and write.
Every perfect day scenario I came up with involved writing. I've come to the conclusion that no matter how crappy the day is, if I can write, I'm happy. I tried to not open the laptop one day over the weekend and it drove me crazy. I couldn't make it a whole day without at least tweaking a few words. I haven't decided if that's good or bad.
How about you? What would your perfect day be like? Writers--does it involve writing, like mine does?
6 comments:
Perfect day? It's sometimes hard to imagine even bearable days.
In real life, the closest I've come to a perfect day has been on walking tours with a company that is unfortunately no longer in business. A manageable-sized group - anywhere from 6 to 14 people - would stay at a small hotel or bed-and-breakfast. We would get up early to a hearty breakfast, then our friendly bus driver would take us to a beautiful place - depending on the country, the Cotswalds in England, the Scottish highlands, mountain trails overlooking the Mediterranean in Crete - where our knowledgeable guide would lead us on a walk at a pleasant pace, looking at interesting landscapes and monuments (and, in the British isles, avoiding sheep shit) for a few hours. We would stop in some beautiful place to eat a pre-packed lunch or go to a local pub/restaurant for a hearty meal and (usually) alcoholic beverages, then walk for a few more hours. Our friendly bus driver would pick us up and take us to tour a museum or castle or monument. Then we would go to the same or a different hotel or bed-and-breakfast, get settled (not hard because the friendly bus driver would have delivered our luggage if changing venues), eat a pleasant companionable dinner, then drink some more, sometimes in a local establishment with live music where we could hang out and meet local people. Go to bed. Repeat daily for a week. Paradise.
Gina, that does sound perfect!
My perfect day.....
a cool breeze, white puffy clouds, and the sound of whale tail slaps breaking the water three hundred yards off the beach.
Me with my little slack key guitar, practicing the chords, while hubby walks the beach snapping photos of beautiful flowers, the waves, and the whales.
And no shoes!
Sounds very peaceful, Cindy!
Hmm, let me see...
Sleep until I wake up naturally - no jarring alarm clock. I will have selected my breakfast menu the night before, so my personal chef will deliver a piping hot breakfast and cup of tea to my patio overlooking the ocean or all-season sun room with a view of the mountains (depending on whether I'm in Puerto Rico or in Pittsburgh).
After breakfast, a leisurely shower, for which the hot water never runs out. Then I retire to my well-appointed "writing cave" to work on my latest best seller (yes, I have that dream too).
Lunch, also selected the night before, is delivered to the same spot as breakfast. After lunch, I may take a walk on the beach, dip in the ocean, or soak in the hot tub (again, depending on location). After that, back to the "cave" for more work.
Dinner is much the same as lunch, except there will be candle-light while my husband (who has been off doing whatever it is his perfect day consists of) joins me to discuss the day.
After dinner, another walk on the beach or dip, this time with company. I fall asleep, utterly relax, to either the sound of waves lapping at the beach, or the breeze in the trees.
You will notice there is no mention of children in this narrative. That's because they are all grown up and off living their own lives. I will deign to let them visit my oases of perfection from time to time, with grand-children (if necessary), or well-spaced, appropriately-timed visits. After all, I have a personal chef and a housekeeper, so I don't have to clean the mess. ;)
I love it, Mary!
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