AT HOME WITH KAYLA PRICE 9/9: Puttering, Pottering, and Piddling

ByTaylor Nye

PublishedSeptember 9, 2022

Puttering, Pottering, and PiddlingMy favorite thing in the entire world is to stay in my PJs until noon while piddling around the house. I feel like I can leavethis article right here because, even if you like to get dressed, puttering around the house is the most fun thing a person can do!

For me, I might start with a little project like putting a few dishes away or clearing off my desk. Inevitably, that leads to researching something on the computer or finding something that can be taken to charity. I might read an article or see something in another room that needs to be dealt with.

Before I know it, it is noon, and I have not accomplished anything by the standard of a to do list. Rather, I have spent a few hours comfortable, alone, and getting lost in my thoughts.Please tell me I am not the only person who loves to potter around the house doing nothing! Surely this isn’t a condition or something with a strange name.When possible, this has been my Saturday treat. If there is something planned on a Saturday, I must forgo my fun for the week.After selling our business and being semi-retired, I found myself at home a lot. At first, it seemed like I could turn my PJs till noon and piddling into a daily event. Soon I tired of it! I started asking retired people for their advice for succeeding at retirement. I didn’t find anything that really resonated with me.But something my Aunt E used to say kept popping into my head. “Don’t ever retire, you will regret it.” I don’t know if it was a self-fulfilling prophecy or just the way it is, but I proved Aunt E’s point to be true for myself.It would seem that, as humans, we all long for a purpose and a reason. I’ll never be a brain surgeon or cure cancer, but there are tons of worthwhile, interesting purposes out there that add benefit to society. Volunteering and working are two ways of fulfilling a purpose. Helping someone to their car with their groceries or providing a hot meal are purposes that would be fulfilling. Those with mechanical and technical skills are such a blessing to share with folks like me who have none.I am reading a book by Dr. Rangan Chatterjee titled Happy Mind, Happy Life. His premise is that we can choose to be happy. I think it helps us be happy if we have purpose in our lives. Caring for our family, serving our community, working toward a common goal, etc. are all purposes we can serve.It may be the old “glass half full vs. glass half empty” scenario, but a purpose helps us feel the fullness of our hearts and the glass!These are just ramblings of a happy girl who now has a purpose which gets her up and dressed each day. I am back to treating myself to a Saturday morning in my PJs doing little projects around the house.