Time on My Hands

You might think that with all the time on my hands I am currently experiencing that my house would be spotless, and my life in order. If that’s what it would be like at your house, I admire you, but that does not describe the current situation chez moi.

Last weekend my daughter and I tackled the bathrooms, and I did a heroic amount of vacuuming, and what is infuriating is that it needs to be done again. I have done a bit of cooking, mainly baking and making soup, and as you’re undoubtedly aware, writing every day—sorry, we’re in the home stretch now. I have also slid back into my time-sucking habits of playing solitaire and spending time getting into arguments with people I don’t know on FaceBook.

The Monday after Thanksgiving I return to work, and I will have to do things like wake up on time, shower each morning, and get dressed in real clothes. (I’m a bit nervous about putting on real pants—this week I tried to put on some jeans, and that lasted about two minutes). All the free, unstructured time I’ve been enjoying will evaporate, and I’ll need to start planning all my days and following a schedule.

I start each morning with good intentions, and lists, numerous lists, lists for the day, lists of things to write about, lists of things I want to do before I return to work, lists of things we need for the house. I am drowning in lists, and I write more every day. Yesterday I got some things done, I thoroughly cleaned my stovetop, and I got a bookshelf I’ve been meaning to get. The bookshelf only came in silver, so I got a can of spray paint and painted it, and put it together. Neither of those things was on any of my lists.

The bookshelf wasn’t expensive, but it was a bit of an extravagance, I’ve been out of work with no paycheck for five weeks, but I set my heart on it a long time ago. I’ve been reading, and one of the books I’ve been reading is Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic. I’m not sure exactly what she said in the book, but it inspired me to finally get this bookshelf, and use it exclusively for books that inspire me and bring me joy. I guess you could call it my Marie Kondo bookshelf; both the bookshelf and the things on it spark joy.

I hope I can get at least a few more things done before I return to work, but I am also doing my best to rest as much as I can while I can. I have ten more posts to write this month, and a trip to Connecticut next week. Maybe this weekend I’ll get inspired to get cracking on those lists. But in the meantime, I think I’ll try to enjoy the remaining time on my hands.