I claimed a bit of joy last week. The past two weeks have been crazy. In addition to our normal family scurrying, there was something going on every night – a meeting, or an appointment, or a lesson. All I wanted to do was come home and have a quiet meal with Willis and the kids. Maybe throw in a load of laundry. But instead, I was grabbing a burger in the car on my way from one place to the next – again. It was two straight weeks of go, go, go and I was worn out.
Towards the end of this hectic time, I was surprised to find an unclaimed hour in my day. It would take me ½ hour to get to my meeting, but I didn’t need to be there for 90 minutes. I drove towards my destination trying to remember what errands needed to be run and thinking about how I could squeeze some productivity out of this extra time.
Then I saw it. Coming up on the right was a Barnes & Noble. “Hey! I can do something fun with this time! Why didn’t I think of that?” And that’s just what I did. I spent a whole hour in a bookstore. By myself!
I browsed through the books about architecture and design. I scanned fiction that I haven’t read yet. I lingered in the bargain books. I love books and I love solitude. I was in heaven.
I may have looked like a completely normal person to other shoppers, but in my head, I was screaming, “Whee! I’m free!” I looked at the kids in the children’s section. “Do any of them need to pee? I don’t care! Wahoo!” Perhaps I need to get out more.
Nonetheless, it was just the boost I needed. We’re through the busy time on this month’s calendar, so I can get back to my time with Willis, Pinky & G. I’m grateful for that and I’m extremely grateful for that gift of a free hour.
