The unimaginable

Yesterday my sister surprised me by taking N for a few days. I was caught completely off-guard. He wanted to stay, they wanted him. He didn't want to come to Grandpa's, and this got him away from his mother's nagging, "TURN THAT DS OFF!"... it was really a no-brainer. I get him back on Tuesday.

Today I dropped C and her friend at summer camp. It was really beautiful - the people seemed friendly, fun and compassionate. I could have stayed there all day, but C was in more of the "don't let the door hit you in the ..." kind of good-bye mood. So my Dad and I left without much more than a goodbye hug.

I am spending 2 days without any kids at my Dad's house. I have almost no idea what to do with myself. Seriously, what do people do who have no kids with all the free time??? I have often imagined what life would be like if I didn't marry or have kids. I sometimes imagine the street I would live on, the kind of job I would have, and even some of the things I would do when I wasn't working. I even tried to write a fictional account of what my life would be like in this alter-ego life. In my fictional account I was such a work-aholic that my boss called me in the middle of the night. I got about fifty pages into it, and the story got so boring that I couldn't even keep myself interested.  I made the creative decision to abandon the project (at least temporarily).

So even though a lifetime of freedom seems unimaginable, I should be able to fill a few days on my own. I always imagine that single people live such interesting lives. They go to concerts, and lots of movies. They read more books. They travel, spend weekends with friends. The buy whatever they want without conferring with their spouse. They have more sex than marrieds. They pursue their professional careers and hobbies. It seems like a fun life, albeit from my perspective, potentially lonely. Grass is always greener on the other side of the subdivision.

I should be able to fill these two days as a single, non-parent with at least a smidgen of interesting activity. What can I do if I only have me to think of? The idea is so decadent that I hardly dare think of an answer. I don't even know where to start.....

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