Home alone

I was home alone one day recently and had none of the usual meetings and errands scheduled so I decided to take a "day off", which is something I don't normally get to do. I think because I don't have a normal 9 to 5 job I feel as though I can't just sit around and do nothing. I have to justify my freedom by accompishing things, right? So unlike most people, when there's a holiday, or unexpected snow storm, I still find it necessary to do housework rather than sit and read a good book. For whatever reason, this day was different. I had a medical appointment in the afternoon, I did my work out early in the morning, and I decided to do nothing in between. I took a long luxurious bath and I washed my hair. I felt absolutely decadent staying in my robe for a good hour while I dried my hair and watched the little TV in my bedroom. I took my time doing make-up and getting dressed, and I was still downstairs by 7:30. So I took out the laptop and spent an hour blogging, playing with facebook, and surfing the internet.

I was beginning to feel guilty at that point so I switched gears, turned on the TV, and knitted for an hour while I watched a morning talk show. Pure pleasure.

It was after 10 when I finally got some breakfast. I ate while I read the paper and sorted through the mail that had arrived at my back door. I devoured The Star from cover to cover. Then back to the computer to write in my diary and record some of my thoughts.

By noon I was beginning to think about the medical test I had to drive to Southampton for and my calm demeanor quickly began to vanish. I don't enjoy medical tests. My little vacation was over and it was time to start re-entry phase.

It's unusual for me to have the opportunity to take a morning off like that. Most of my work takes the form of meetings and usually they fill my mornings. My calendar is filled with times and places and an empty date is a rarity. What a gift it was that day.

Sometimes, just having a chance to sit around and enjoy the quiet and comfort of our own homes is a blessing. I'm thinking I ought to take those opportunities more often when they come and stop feeling as though "idle hands are the devil's workshop" as my grandfather loved to say. Sometimes idle hands are just what the doctor ordered...