Uncle Martin wearing Berkeley tee. Photo credit: three year old daughter
I am on hour 8 of about 28 hours to myself in my own home. The last time this occurred was 49 years ago. It was only six years ago actually. My husband went to Rome for "work" while I was six months pregnant with our son. We had just moved into our house and I was frantically unpacking and putting together furniture and lifting heavy objects against my better judgement. It was hugely enjoyable.
And here we are again six years later. Somehow it just never works out that I am alone in the house. I have certainly taken trips with friends and gotten away from the kids for short periods. But they've never left me behind. Until now. And I can't tell you how much I miss them. And how happy I am to be in my home by myself.
Especially now because I am way behind on a lot of things. I've been contracting the last two weeks at Shutterfly and while I certainly enjoy the change of pace and seeing old friends and getting free coffee and cereal in the morning, there is very little time leftover to manage the other parts of my life. And in two weeks I'm doing my first big festival which means I need inventory! And price tags! And displays! Plus we're on our third Jewish holiday out of five for September and our preschool is closed more often than it's open. All of this together is just not super conducive to me getting much done.
So this short period of peace and quiet is exactly what I need to get ready for the festival, purge some emails, make some food for the week, go to the farmer's market (alone), exercise and run a few errands. And figure out how to make this happen again before another six years has passed.
Wow - a whole day!? I just sent Tru to toddler preschool this past week and it was SO weird for the house to be empty even for a couple of hours. And I felt sort of silly for missing him as much as I did! But god, did I get a lot done! I hope you're able to relish/cherish the time and work your butt off (in the most fun way possible, of course!).
ReplyDeleteit's never a straightforward feeling is it? my husband took the girls on an overnight last month. i delighted in every bit of it during the day, and then i lay awake with eyes as big as dinner plates for most of the night. there was something about them all being gone that felt so wrong.
ReplyDeletegot a shitload of stuff done though.
peeeeeeeeeace!
ReplyDeleteenjoy every drip drop dollap!
the last two yrs, in my birthing of an active creative life, i've tried to carve out a weekend alone every 3-4 months, & while i espec. ached for my family in the eves, it's been incredibly productive & life-giving...& in the beginning, a little disorienting!
looooooove to you in this place,
that is, in YOU.
xoxox
oooh how wonderful! i'm free for coffee . . . unless you need alone time and then we can have it at the same time and say we did! - Rebeca
ReplyDeleteI hope you had lots of productive time to work on inventory! and tags! and display! Shows are exhausting, and after a long summer of shows I have just about had enough of the, BUt wait they don't end...it's time to get ready for the holiday shows. I need inventory! and Tags! sigh.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, when I get precious home-alone time I usually end up watching Arrested Development on Hulu instead.