My entire family (husband and children) was gone over the Memorial Day Weekend visiting family. They left on Friday morning and Erik returned on Tuesday and I went to get the kids on Friday. I have to be honest, I was less than thrilled about the time alone and felt sorry for myself. I was positive this would be the worst five days and time would go so slow. I tried to line up outings with friends and came up with a huge list to make sure the time would go by quickly.
The first day I worked in the morning and a friend, who I hadn't seen for 9 months, came by for a visit. I was supposed to go out that evening to downtown Greeley but found myself exhausted and canceled the plans. On Saturday morning, I still was feeling quite sorry for myself but after a great run with friends and coffee, I was starting to feel a little better about the situation. I began my deep cleaning of the house that morning and took a break to meet with another friend for a couple of hours. I noticed as the day progressed that the silence in the house was very welcoming. I could play whatever music I wanted, I could watch what I liked on TV (Hannah, my youngest, generally controls the remote!) and once I had a room clean I did not have to worry about anybody messing it up right away! I also got to eat when I wanted to and what I wanted and did not have anyone asking, "When are we going to eat? What's for dinner?"
After church on Sunday, I went on a 2 hour bike ride without having anyone ask, "Can we turn around? I am tired!" By Sunday night, I no longer needed the radio or television to fill the silence. My plans for the evening fell through but I found myself relieved to have the time alone. Monday, I forgot my to do list and just spent the day relaxing and reading a book. I could even complete an entire chapter without interruption!
In the end, I learned that some alone time is good for everyone. It allowed me time to actually think without a bunch of background noise. When the kids return, I know they will have a deeper appreciation of me as their Mom and I will be much more tolerable of the noise (even during a 13 hour drive home). But it also reminded me that before long, the noise will disappear and be replaced with silence.
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