"down" time

where does one start after the long stretch of "holiday" ... it is sunday night and tomorrow should be my first real day back in our routine, but the winter storm of sickness has hit and means my son will home again tomorrow {this time his grandmother is the one who is sick.} it makes me think about the concept of "down time" and what that really means in my world. i'm not sure if i should blame it on my own personality, or if it is a result of being a homeowner or even more so because i am a wife/mother, but i find it hard to do nothing. it might be that i fear one moment of doing nothing could result in a long period of doing nothing, or simply that in my mind there is always something to be done. if i sit down, my mind floods with a mental list of all the things i could be doing or should be doing ... or i begin to rationalize with myself, "if i am going to sit and watch this movie with everyone i should at least knit while doing so." this rational helped me produce a few handmade christmas gifts that i couldn't more proud of: SOCKS for my husband, my brother and my son. i learned to knit {basic knit and pearl} when i was an exchange student in finland back in 1995 and have knit many flat things: a blanket and scarves {some of which have never been completed} as well as some simple hats knit in the round. my live-in knitting coach {finnish house-mate} found a simple sock pattern for me and ... I FOLLOWED IT!!! and then made my own adjustments to the pattern and tried a shorter pair and then a scaled-down pair. i even made a tiny pair for a friend's 8 month old. pretty fun and very exhilarating ..................... and relaxing during my down time.