Lazy Afternoons

We need a break

It’s the busy time. That’s what I say when my to-do list is genuinely never-ending. A million things to do. Dozens of errands to run. A list of things to do that keeps growing endlessly. December is by definition “the busy time”. It’s Christmas season, obviously, so I’m running around buying gifts for loved ones and planning holiday-themed hangouts. Four of my close friends have December birthdays, which means birthday gifts on top of Christmas gifts, and squeezing in a celebration for every single one. Finals season sits in the centre of it all, having me practically drowning in assignments and exams. And with money running out faster than motivation, I’m grabbing every odd job and extra shift I can find.

Which brings me here: pet-sitting for a friend-of-a-friend, tucked inside a big suburban house while its owners escape to some tropical beach far away from this polite, constant snow. Honestly? It worked out perfectly. I get paid, I get quiet, and I get a week to chip away at my to-do list without interruptions.

It’s the middle of the afternoon now. I’ve been working on a presentation for hours—researching, typing, rearranging slide colours in some perfectionist trance I can’t escape. The house is still. Too still for the middle of the afternoon. I pause my ceaseless keyboard clacking, and that’s when I hear it: snoring.

The deep, unbothered snores of a huge husky, sprawled out on the living room carpet like he owns the place. His sister is passed out beside him, legs in the air, dreaming dog dreams. The family cat is curled into a perfect loaf on the couch cushion, warm and regal. The Christmas tree twinkles gently in the corner. Outside, snow tumbles in slow, soft flurries. The whole house is wrapped in the kind of hush you don’t realize you’ve been craving until it finds you.

And here I am, frantically working, hunched over my laptop, while every animal in the house has collectively decided it’s the ideal lazy afternoon. To relax and let time pass by. To enjoy the peace. To let December be gentle.

So, of course, I joined them.

I closed my laptop. I slipped on the oversized knit blanket from the back of the couch. I made popcorn and let the pets pile against me like I was just another warm thing in the room. We watched The Shape of Water (because I’m a sucker for rewatching movies I know I love), and the husky rested his heavy head on my thigh while the cat purred himself asleep. For a few hours, there was no school, no work, no errands. Just soft breathing. Snow-glow through the windows. A quiet house full of quiet creatures.

I didn’t know how badly I needed that moment until I was in it.

We all need breaks. The kind where your brain unclenches without asking for permission. And this time of year, when everything feels urgent and time feels thin, it’s so easy to forget that rest exists. That you’re allowed to stop moving. That the world won’t collapse if you take a few soft hours for yourself.

So let this be your reminder:

Find the time to be lazy.

Find the time to slow down.

Find the time to do something small and warm and gentle with the people (or animals) you love.

The rush will always be waiting for you. Peace won’t. Take it when it comes.

The sleepy boy himself, waking up from a nap <3

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Thank you for reading <3

The cover image is from @meyou.cozy on Instagram☺️