Time is not just slipping away recently. It is being torn out of my grip by hurricane force winds. The last time I stopped to look, we were amidst the holidays. I trudged on waiting for the quiet that winter, snow, and sticking close to home would bring.
Yes, I know - go ahead and laugh! The good news for my husband is that work has been busy. The bad news for us is that there's no end in sight to his travel.
The past several weeks have wiped me out. Austin has not slept through the night for at least the past two weeks, due to teething, double ear infections and probably now a new routine of waking up and yelling for attention. Home seems crowded, with Matchbox cars, fake plastic groceries, crayons, the 100 questions Abby asks per minute and Austin close behind climbing continually over the side of whatever chair I'm in.
The weeks are long and the weekends scheduled down to the minute to get everything done before the week's travel schedule sets back in. After throwing in the interviewing, I fell into last weekend exhausted, fried and really, really snippy.
My husband asked me on Friday night if I'd like to take some time out on Saturday to get some writing done and get a bit of a break. I pushed aside my mental checklist of cleaning, laundry, errands and the needs of everyone else.
I pulled up the listing for a nearby hotel on Priceline and said, "I want this."
And so I went. Late Saturday afternoon, I armed myself with three things:
- My laptop
- A book that has nothing to do with parenting
- Running gear
I was a little let down when I arrived to discover construction being done in the room next door, people partying it up across the hall and a funk-nasty smell emanating throughout my room.
But, it was mine. I settled in. I ordered PF Chang's carry-out. I grabbed a glass of wine from the lobby bar. I pecked away at my computer. I read, slept and woke up early for a run before heading home.
No one called me Mommy. There was no one there to call me anything at all. That was exactly what I needed.
It's difficult to take this time for myself. I know that there are 100 things to be done at home. We get very little time together as a full family. My husband and I get even less time together on our own.
Still, I needed this time. I needed solitude. I needed to breathe and slowly feel my shoulders come down from my ears. I needed the chance to miss everyone, to sleep through the night and to recharge.
I spent the night at a hotel ten minutes away from my family. It was the best money I've spent in a long time.
How do you recharge?
Filed under: Life Balance
Tags: solitude, taking care of myself
