My husband had the day off work last Friday. This should have made for a relaxing morning, but it didn’t.

Even as he made coffee and waffles and bacon, I was anxious and antsy. I had work to do, but I didn’t feel like doing it. The house was a mess, but I didn’t feel like cleaning it. I have another triathlon coming up next month, but I didn’t feel like jumping on my bike or into the pool. What I really wanted to do was ignore my obligations and go back to bed, like Peter Gibbons did in Office Space.

So I did exactly that. Except, instead of going back to bed, I went to Water World with Kyle and the kids.

I sent one email and didn’t even wait for a reply before shutting my laptop. I left my phone sitting on the kitchen table. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and slathered myself with sunscreen. My only concerns were making sure we had enough diapers and that we remembered to bring the stroller. Beyond that, I’d wing it.

And wing it I did. I went with the flow all day long, and it was a far more welcome relief than even an eight-hour nap would have been. I was too busy coursing down makeshift rivers, shrieking with glee alongside my kids, to think about my unanswered emails or my kitchen floor. Even if they’d crossed my mind, I couldn’t have done anything about them. There would be time enough to work later; now it was time to play.

Sometimes that’s what we recovering control freaks need: to fling our responsibilities to the wind, if only for a day. They’ll be there when we return, and we’ll be in a better frame of mind to tackle them.

What would you have chosen: a day at Water World, or a day in bed?