Friday Five: Renewal / "Be Still"

Today's Friday Five (assigned by Rev. Songbird) are especially appropriate for me this week. Between my tinnitus, and the steroids I'm currently taking to resolve it (as detailed in this entry on Jonah 365), I haven't had a full night's rest in a little over two weeks.

In brief, the assignment is to "List four ways you like to relax or give yourself a break. Then name a fifth, something you've never been able to do, a self-care dream."

1. The main way I relax is with the infamous boob tube. That being said, there are degrees:
   
   
   1. Full zombie mode. It barely matters what's on; I'll stare at the screen, mouth agape, for hours on end. Even pabulum like "Navy CIS" or "Criminal Minds". I don't even mute the commercials.
   
   
   2. Moderate zombie mode. I'm more discerning about what I watch - "quality shows" on network TV (e.g., "My Name Is Earl"), PBS programming, one of my many pre-owned movies, or the latest DVD in my Netflix queue.
   
   
   3. Engaged zombie mode. Still watching broadcast TV, sometimes a mix of "quality" and pabulum, but I mute the sound during commercials and read a magazine (e.g., Shambhala Sun or Oxford American).


2. Read a book, sometimes with music playing in the background, sometimes not. I mostly read during my lunch hour at work; I'm currently reading James Elroy's The Black Dahlia.


3. Listen to music. Considering the size of my music collection (LP, tape, minidisk,CD, and now iPod), not as often as you might think.


4. Lay on the couch with my favorite feline companion asleep on my lap.


5. I have had different levels of massage – both chair and full – with very positive results. However, my last massage was almost a year ago. My dream form of relaxation, then, would be to get a massage more often.