A Little ‘Me’ Time

David and our oldest son, Brennan, have been talking about ‘bagging a peak’ for a few weeks. Brennan flew out from Richmond last week, and the two guys headed to Death Valley National Park to hike up to Telescope Peak, Death Valley’s high point. It was a father-son excursion, and I was left behind in Las Vegas. Oh, my… whatever will I do with 2-1/2 days of ‘me’ time? Let me start the list!

First, the things I won’t do… cooking, laundry, cleaning. Don’t get me wrong. David does his share of house and yard chores and lots more. But for me, a couple of days of not preparing meals and not doing any chores at all, and just doing exactly what I wanted seemed like heaven. Oh, the things I could do.

The guys didn’t leave until nearly noon. I had lunch, wrote a blog, did a half-hour of Duolingo (I’m taking a German course in preparation for our trip in November), and by then, most of the day was shot. I ended up making a list of all the things I’d do for the next couple of days. It was extensive. Shopping, thrifting, a mani and a pedi maybe, a nap or two, some reading, more writing, some trip planning. This was going to be wonderful. After a salad for dinner, I played Yahtzee with Mary and then headed to bed. I read for a while, watched the tube for a while, and then fell asleep.

The first thing each morning was a walk. Our usual path is done on autopilot. We usually say hi to neighbors as we pass and sometimes stop briefly for a chat. The circuit usually takes an hour or so. I didn’t get far when I had to explain that I was walking alone because David was hiking with Brennan. When I was stopped the fifth time and had to explain once again that David was fine and hiking with our son, it was getting a bit comical. By the seventh time, it was a bit annoying.

I needed to book some flights and was having problems with the booking. After nearly an hour on the phone with the booking agent, I finally got the flights and seat assignments I wanted, but again… much more time wasted than anticipated.

I chatted with Lin… another hour. I wrote for a while, did Duolingo, paid some bills, and it was lunchtime. I made a salad, then decided to go thrifting, but nothing in the store tempted me. I went to the Mall, but beyond getting some steps, no temptation, no inspiration, and no purchases. I stopped at the grocery store, bought stuff for the next night’s dinner when the guys would return, and headed home. Leftover salad for dinner, a game of Yahtzee with Mary, and I thought I’d watch a movie, a ‘mushy’ one that David wouldn’t care for. David called, we chatted, and I returned to the movie, but quickly fell asleep.

The next morning, I headed out to walk and once again had to explain all over again where David was when everyone was surprised he was still MIA. And once again, my walk took up much more time than I anticipated, but I had my list of ‘to-dos’. I was expecting the guys home by dinnertime and was determined I’d make the most of the day. I was, therefore, surprised when David texted at 0730 to tell me that they’d gotten an early start and were heading home. ETA was 0930. Yikes! Where did my ‘me’ time go?

I could say I was disappointed, but I’d be lying. I hadn’t made much of my ‘me’ time. It seems I do much better with ‘us’ time. Go figure.