My husband is away on a business trip. (In case you were wondering, I trust him implicitly, naive as it may sound. Besides, he can’t possibly get into much trouble where he is right now!)
As much as I miss him when he’s away, I also savour the me-time I get alone at home. (I suspect that he feels the same way, the only difference being I don’t look forward to leaving my bed unmade, dirty socks and underwear on the floor and a week’s worth of dishes piled high in the sink. But that’s a story for another day.)
I think that I enjoy the solitude more than anything else. I woke up very early this morning at a quarter to six. Barring exam-fever days many years ago, that is a feat I have achieved only a few times in my life. In the glow of a rising sun, I completed today’s blog post while listening to my Buddhist Chants CD. I walked about the house watering all my (new) plants -I had to throw away the dying old- whispering calm, happy thoughts to them (in the hope that they will survive this time round). After I completed these tasks, I still had time left over to go around taking candid shots of my home (having just discovered Instagram). I may have struck a silly sight if you’d seen me: standing on sofas and hanging precariously over coffee tables. But I was truly living in the moment, with not a thought for anything else for the better part of an hour. I left for work feeling relaxed and happy.
I look forward to returning home to a neat and tidy house: dishes already washed and put away, bed made, toilet seats down, cushions in place and not a stray newspaper or magazine in sight. I will warm up my dinner and probably over-indulge in front of the TV. Oh, the TV. That’s right. I’ll have full and complete control over the remote, free to watch anything I choose without having to tolerate rolled eyes or hear my favourite programs and characters trivialized and insulted. Yes, Grey’s Anatomy and The Tudors will vie for my undivided attention tonight!
It’s only when I crawl into an empty bed at night that I’ll suddenly feel very alone. I know our cozy bed will suddenly seem too big for one and the silence I loved in the morning is going to seem very loud at the midnight hour.
Dirty laundry and unpacked luggage will surely abound but I’m glad he’s back home tomorrow!
so understand this
I love being able to sleep diagonally across the bed and eat cereal for “dinner” but always happy to have my husband home again as well.
Hehe, you’re right, sleeping diagonally is fun! My dinner is more elaborate though- ‘cos there’s no one watching to make me feel guilty!