Now that I have much less of it, I've been extremely selective about how I spend my free time. Some of it's necessarily spent on things like shopping and cleaning (though my standards have gone waaaay down these days...the toilet doesn't get scrubbed until it gets that gross ring at the water line, and that would NEVER have happened in my pre-baby days). Beyond that, I get to choose, and sure as hell, I am not going to waste my time on mediocre movies or outings that aren't fun for me. A few weeks ago, I sat down to watch This is Spinal Tap, which I had never seen, and a third of the way through, I turned it off and headed to bed. Sorry...maybe it would haven been funny if I were 25, or a man, but it just wasn't doing it for me. Sleep was much more interesting.Yesterday, I did haul 10 dead six-foot arborvitae out of the ground, which seems like it might be a waste of time, but I felt very satisfied afterward. My hard work means I get to plant something there next week. I have been itching to get my fingers into the soil, and all that shoveling did the trick.
That's the thing about motherhood...it makes you much more focused. I really do think about who I want to spend time with, and what I want to be doing. I want to take a walk in the autumn sunlight, I want to watch D. sleeping, I want to do a bit of writing, I want to pour myself a nice glass of wine then drink it while I cook Sunday dinner. All these things are worth it.
2 comments:
we are so excited that we will be taking up some of your time soooooon!!
can't wait. love your autumn photo. Not quite autumn here in chicago yet.
p.s.. once this election is over with, granted it goes well... ill be RELIEVED to have my life back. free from reading about it and watching about it. its a time sucker for sure.
The day I read this post (I haven't had a chance to respond until now) coincidentally I had just cleaned the bathrooms. I know exactly what you meant about the lower standards...you do NOT want to see our shower tile right now, yuck! There just isn't enough time in the day anymore to focus on those minor details. Some things have to give, and the ring on the toilet and mildew in the shower is one of them! ;)
Investing in Tivo was a huge boost to my personal "down time" as much as it's embarrassing to admit. For as many shows as we watch at our house (yeah, too many) it's been nice to still have that chill time but whenever we choose. Pre-baby, it seemed like a frivolous expense, but not now. I suppose we could invest in a housecleaner instead, but nah...at least I get a workout with cleaning! T.
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