Lifted

Muse: Go to bed, Nico! You’ve got rehearsal tomorrow!

Nico: But I had such a good day! I have to tell people about it.

Muse: At 3 in the morning?

Nico: I just got off work at the bar.  I always get back at 3 AM on Saturday nights.

Muse: Aren’t you tired?

Nico: No, I took a nap earlier.

Muse: But you’re on your feet all night when you work at the bar.

Nico: I didn’t notice, really.

Muse: Was it a good show?

Nico: Yeah, the music was good. But that’s what made it a good day.

Muse: So what made it a good day?

Nico: A few things. First, I woke up unreasonably early. I wasn’t sore from dancing or hungover from drinking or fuzzy from getting baked the night before. All I did Friday night was hole up in my room, do a little bit of work, cleanup my computers, wrote a little bit of music and then I went to bed. I went to bed early. Early for my standards, rather. And then I woke up at 8:00 AM. The time I would usually be up for work.

Muse: I guess that’s what happens when you treat a weekend night like a weeknight. Does that surprise you?

Nico: Friday nights I’m usually making an effort to go out. It was nice because the night was for me. I spent it alone.

Muse: Wait, don’t you live alone?

Nico: Yeah, but even then, I take work home and when I’m not working on that, I’m working on some extracurricular freelance thing. Even when I’m alone, my time is spent on other people.

Muse: I thought you liked freelancing.

Nico: I do, when I actually have time for it.

Muse: Why weren’t you working on other people’s projects on Friday?

Nico: Because it was Friday. That’s the one night of the week I do anything for myself so I usually try to make it count. Ordinarily, I like to help people when I can.

Muse: It’s really more of a “must” than a “like to” from where I stand. You’re a little OCD like that.

Nico: Point taken.

Muse: So what made Saturday a good day?

Nico: Well, I got up early, made pancakes and ground some coffee, and then I did nothing.

Muse: “Nothing”?

Nico: I mean I lay on my bed and listened to music for 5 hours. And even then it was only 2 PM by the time I decided to get up and do something.

Muse: Wasn’t there a time in your life when that wasn’t so out of the ordinary?

Nico: I believe those were the semester breaks while I was in college.

Muse: No, I don’t think so — I mean I’m sure you did that then, too, but college was very influenced by pot.

Nico: Oh, so you’re asking me when is the last time I specifically just lay down and listened to music?

Muse: Yeah, without any … additives.

Nico: …You know what, I can’t even remember.

Muse: And how did it make you feel to do that on Saturday?

Nico: Much better. Better than I have been in a long time.

Muse: Are you going to do this more often?

Nico: I probably won’t. I don’t get a lot of time to myself these days, you know.

Muse: And how does that make you feel?

Nico: A little worn out just thinking about it, to be honest.

Muse: How about this: you are always dividing your free time between clients and working on stuff for the agency. What if you took on one more client?

Nico: You need me to debug something for you?

Muse: No no, I’m saying you should think of yourself as a client if that’s what it will take to get you to feel better.

Nico: Isn’t that just “me” time? I’m fine with cigarette breaks.

Muse: As of now you kind of suck at partitioning off time for you. If you pay as much attention to yourself as much as you pay attention to work, then just maybe you’ll learn how to take care of yourself.

Nico: Fair enough. But other than to feel good, which I find to be a little indulgent, what is the point of that?

Muse: You went to work today, right?

Nico: Yes.

Muse: At a job you usually loathe.

Nico: Ok.

Muse: And today was still a good day.

Nico: Right.

Muse: Good work requires good workers, and good workers work well because they’re happy. Make happiness a priority. And maybe then most of your days will be as good as today. “Workaholic” shares its suffix with “alcoholic” for a reason. Moderation is key here.

Nico: I feel like people have been telling me this for a while.

Muse: Well, you are a stubborn asshole.

Nico: Alright, geez. But what makes you think I’m going to listen to you where others have failed?

Muse: I think it’s because you have to listen to me. I’m the muse.

Nico: You’ve got me there.

Tags: advice, good day, lifted, muse
Filed Under: Life As A Nico