The Coffee Shop Report!

I had the house to myself this weekend. My people (2-legged and 4-legged) headed to my in-laws for a quick visit and that meant I was alone... at home... all by myself.

It. Was. Wonderful.

I don't get a lot of time to myself so when I do, I relish every single minute of it and do you know what I did as soon as I got home that first night alone?

I cleaned my house! I know, exciting, right? But guess what? When you don't have a kiddo, a hubby who works from home and a dog, it's amazing how long the house stays clean after you clean it!

So the first thing I do whenever I have a weekend alone is clean and then?  I read my book... I light candles, I keep the TV off and I read (and Facebook) until I can't keep my eyes open anymore. The house is quiet, clean, cozy and I am able to read or surf on my laptop uninterrupted. That's a beautiful combination to me!

The second night tends to be much less quiet. I usually try to plan a Girls Night when they are out of town as well... a guilt-free, dirty martini-filled, late night out with my best friends – that's a pretty powerful combination too! In fact, it's usually so powerful that I sleep late the next morning. That's right – sleep late... because I can.

After I wake up (which I try to draw out as long as I can), I go eat at a favorite breakfast place. I don't know about you but I love to eat by myself. I bring my phone and my book but honestly, that's just habit - I don't usually even pick them up. I like to people watch so that's what I do. I eat slowly, I sit back and sip my coffee; I enjoy not talking and I watch the people around me. That breakfast by myself is one of my favorite things about having a weekend alone.

And I tell you what, these weekends are special to me. In fact, these weekends are like gifts to me from my family. They give me a chance to recharge; a chance to refocus or just a chance to not be quite so focused.

They are short and they are rare but that's how I like them. After all, if they were any longer or more frequent, my house would stay far too clean, far too quiet and my alone time would become simply being alone.

So my wish for each and every one of you wonderful women today is this: 

 May you get a quiet moment to yourself; a chance to recharge. May you grab that book or those high heels and enjoy every single moment that you can spend just being yourself.

 You have earned it.