January 3rd - Aloneness

I also was slacking on yesterday's blog post, in addition to the day before..

Yeah, this resolution thing is going to take a lot more resolve, haha.

Anyway, yesterday, the third day of the new year, was spent all by myself, since the small fry was in school for the day, which gave me ample opportunity to do whatever I needed to do. I always say that I'm going to be productive and do things like laundry, cleaning, or errands while she's gone, but in reality, I prefer to spend my time doing highly unproductive things like watching movies, or eating candy, since no one will come along and interrupt my movie or take my candy.

Which brings me to my appreciation for the day: Alone time, and the sense of being alone.

Back before she came along, and before I was living in a house full of people and animals who always needed me to do something for them, I didn't truly appreciate time alone to do absolutely nothing productive. I used to find time to do things alone, like running, but that was something I would have filed under productive. Fluffy things like eating ice cream, watching movies, or just lazing around, I would find other people with whom to share that time, and I would sometimes feel badly for not being that productive.

Since I've become a parent, though, and one that is getting through nursing school at that, I've really come to appreciate taking time for myself that has absolutely no practical purpose. Things like eating ice cream all alone in the Laz-E-Boy, or reading a book in the coffee shop with a $2.50 apple cider ($2.50 that could really have been saved for something considered far more practical, are things that are necessary to get a break and take some mental refreshment. They keep me sane, and make me feel a bit pampered.

So yesterday, I sat around and watched movies for a few hours, then read "The Vacancy", by J.K. Rowling, which I'm hoping to finish before school starts and I get bogged down in school reading. I did absolutely nothing practical or productive, and it was glorious.