Category: ♪Today I don’t feel like doing anything
I just wanna lay in my bed
Don’t feel like picking up my phone
So leave a message at the tone
‘Cause today I swear I’m not doing anything♪
The Lazy Song by Bruno Mars has become my new favorite song. I find myself humming it throughout the day and whistling along to the unheard rhythm while I work in my little home office. I think it is the contrast of the song’s vision with my own chaotic days approaching our first residency that has caused me to gravitate towards it.
It’s 30 days before I leave for China, our pre-reading has not yet arrived, but there is plenty to fill my day. When my alarm clock sounds in the morning, I squint my eyes at the time, thinking to myself, “Surely this cannot be correct. I only closed my eyes moments ago, and yet this dratted thing is blaring at me to open them.” Knowing that every moment I hit the snooze button is another item on my To Do list left undone, I angrily slap the alarm clock and pull my sluggish body out of bed to start my day. “Today I don’t feel like doing anything” I hum as I go downstairs for my coffee.
♪I’m gonna kick my feet up
Then stare at the fan
Turn the TV on, throw my hand in my pants
Nobody’s gonna tell me I can’t♪
As I pour my coffee, I start my work computer and flip on a morning show to give my waking mind some stimulation. I picture myself sitting there sipping my coffee without the laptop in front of me. First step, check personal email during non-work hours to see if there are any important updates that came in that need to be added to today’s to do list. Every morning another class mate has posted a Facebook message with some new wisdom, or an email from the Duke staff regarding our upcoming requirements has been sent. With the caffeine kicking in, I filter through my spam to find the few jewels about the school that I am anxious for. Some days it is a fun announcement, like the day we found out we would get to see the Duke Basketball team play in China. Some are not so fun, like the reminder from the Bursar’s office that tuition is due on August 1. Whatever the email is though, it is always pleasant to start my day looking at such an amazing opportunity.
♪I’ll be lounging on the couch,
Just chillin’ in my snuggie
Click to MTV, so they can teach me how to dougie
‘Cause in my castle I’m the freaking man
Oh, oh♪
Just as Regis and Kelly is about to start, my first work call begins. The words of The Lazy Song play in my head, and memories of failed attempts to learn Beyonce’s choreography make me smile. After the morning call I have a good idea of what today’s To Do list will include. I pencil in things like, “Fax Visa Ap to Agency”, “Fill Out Background Check”, “Confirm Headcount Pre-Trip”. After I add in my major work responsibilities for the day, I finally begin to chip away at the mountain of objectives.
♪Tomorrow I’ll wake up, do some P90X
Meet a really nice girl, have some really nice ***
And she’s gonna scream out: ‘This is Great’
(Oh my god, this is great)
Yeah♪
With work, and hopefully a few Duke To Dos crossed off my list, I hop in my Jeep and head to the gym. Serendipitously the radio is playing The Lazy Song. I sing along and narrate with my own interpretive movements. As other drivers pass looking at me in my own mobile discotec, I think about which of the Pre-Learning modules I can go through when I’m done with my workout. “When school starts I can take my books with me and read while I’m on the treadmill. I wonder if I use the recumbent bike if I can take my laptop with me and listen to the module while I pedal? Do they have audible versions of the textbooks? I should check that.” I’m learning quickly that multi-tasking is going to be key to juggling all of my responsibilities.
♪I might mess around, get my college degree
I bet my old man will be so proud of me
But sorry pops, you’ll just have to wait♪
I get home from the gym and I give a quick call to my old man to find out how the family business is running in North Carolina. He tells me the latest updates which usually involve some sort of action item being added to my To Do list. “Oh yeah, Dad, by the way, I booked my tickets to China today. I’ll fly out of LAX in July to get there early.” I add before I say goodbye. As I make dinner, I check the list one more time and make my final decision on which module I will do. “Looks like I need to get a report written for them this evening. It will probably take around 2 hours to get that done. Hmm..the Calculus module Chapter 2 is next on my list to complete, and is only 33 minutes in length. If I do that section tonight, I can do the practice questions tomorrow. After I knock that out I can work on the report.”
Finally, after all is said and done, there is one last check of my email box. Was there anything new that came in for me before I go to bed? Something I can use to inspire this evening’s dreams? “You’re trip to Beijing and Xian has been confirmed.” There it is, a happy ending to my long day. Not all the boxes are checked off, but there are enough done that I can rest with a feeling of accomplishment and hopes of a weekend where the words to The Lazy Song become a reality.
♪Today I don’t feel like doing anything
I just wanna lay in my bed
Don’t feel like picking up my phone
So leave a message at the tone
‘Cause today I swear I’m not doing anything
Nothing at all
Nothing at all
Nothing at all♪
Chaos, 
