Sundays have become our adventure days–as long as the weather holds out, it’s our time to hit one of the many day hikes within easy reach of our home.

But not today.

Left to my own devices, I would probably spend every chance I get heading out somewhere. But things at home need tending to as well. So today, it was all about sorting out fall and winter clothes from spring and summer clothes. And sweeping. And scrubbing toilets.

Hooray.

Oh, I know that there are opportunities for contemplative practice embedded in all sorts of mundane activities. But for most of the day, I felt more like a petulant teenager suffering through chores than anything else.

Around 5pm we called it quits, and I put a pot of kale and potato soup on the stove to cook–which bought me a good 90 minutes to head up the road for a short session in the woods. I really felt I needed that time, no matter how brief. The chores took priority today, for certain, but it really felt like good medicine for me to be in the woods on a Sunday.

Perhaps it’s another one of those “so what did I really do today to simplify my life” days-but I think the answer is this: sure, I need to strike a balance between household practice (doesn’t that sound better than housekeeping?) and being outdoors, but I also need to find a way to give myself what I need to keep on an even keel…even if it means just an hour and a half in the woods while dinner cooks.