A Day Without Children

I recently attended a week-long program that my company holds every year at Vassar College.  In order to attend, I had to take my children to stay with my family in the Detroit area while I was away.  I missed them terribly while I was gone, and at one point, it seemed, in every conversation I had with one of my colleagues, I spoke of how happy I would be to see them again.

Over and over, I repeated my planned travel schedule to anyone who would listen: program ends on Thursday, return to New York City for one day on Friday, and fly to Detroit on Saturday to reunite with the kids and spend a week with my family in the Detroit area.

After hearing this travelogue for the umpteempth time, one of my colleagues said, "Oh!  So you have a day at home, in your house, by yourself!"

I shrugged.  That was true, but I wasn't really thinking of it that way.  I was too busy thinking of how much I  missed my children.  My co-worker continued,

"I haven't been in my house alone in I couldn't tell you how long.  Let me guess.  You're going to walk around naked, aren't you?  That's what I would do!"

I laughed.  I hadn't been alone in my house since the last time I'd taken the kids to Detroit for an extended visit with my family, and that was about three years ago.  And it had been a long time since I'd walked around the house naked...

In that moment, I decided to enjoy my day at home alone without children, instead of basically treating it as a day of mourning until I could see them again.

So what did I do?

1. I walked around naked. A lot.

2. Surprisingly, I bonded with my cat.  Turns out she's not quite as wacko when she gets a reasonable amount of attention and affection.  Who knew?

3. I went to a morning Bikram Yoga class at my favorite Bikram Yoga studio in Harlem.  Much different vibe than the weekend evening classes I normally attend.

4.  I enjoyed a long, leisurely workout at my gym, including steam and sauna.

5.  I saw a movie for grown-ups -- The Hangover -- and laughed louder than I have in a long time.

6.  I finished reading the book "Slumdog Millionaire" (originally titled "q&a") -- great read!

7.  I called the kids and told them how much I looked forward to seeing them after our week apart, and heard lots of stories about my sister's cute new puppy.

8.  I silently gave thanks for the simple pleasures I was able to enjoy that day.

Original post to NYC Moms Blog.