This is my first weekend at home alone in ages. I almost don’t know what to do with myself! For the past two months I either had a houseguest or was a houseguest every weekend. This morning I had 3 unprogrammed hours. I tidied the semi-messy house. Wrote some thank you cards. Did some laundry. This evening I had even more unprogrammed hours. I went to the craft store. Attempted to learn how to do decoupage (I have a Christmas present idea for candle holders I found online – we’ll see how it goes). Watched CSI. Read a bit of a book. Crazy! Free time … I’d forgotten about that. :)
In between I got to visit with one of my best friends from College. She lives in Montana and I never see her. It was good to catch up.
Last night a bunch of us went out with the friend visiting from Montana. I also got to see other old college friends who, while they live in town, I never see. Another good chance to catch up. One couple is pregnant. Another friend was there with her relatively new significant other and they both had just passed the bar. Someone just bought a house. I had my updated nun news. … Good times, although it was rather humorous that 11pm rolled around and we were all yawning and looking at our watches. Early thirties approaching middle age!
It made me realize that I don’t often hang out with people just my own age any more. This is my first weekend home alone, but it’s also my first weekend without intergenerational activity in a long time. Religious life lends itself to multiple generations, with me usually being the youngin’ (or one of). Pluses and minuses to both equations. But in many ways, I find myself having less in common with my friends who are all within 2 years of my own age and more in common with the groovy sisters who lets face is are mostly older. Not that I don’t love my friends and plan to continue hanging out with them. But it is an interesting observation.
Well, bed time for me. Assuming my noisy neighbors turn down their music. I think they’re having a party as I keep hearing murmurs of deep drunken conversation from the smokers ….
5 comments:
Good morning! Saw this article in the New York Times and thought of you.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/09/magazine/09lives.html
Hey, really like your blog. Thoughtful, humorous, engaging, and interesting. As a "newer" sister and a young adult, I found this balance between intergenerational hanging out and that with my age peers to be a challenge. The intergenerational by default won out. But I found I was way more interactive in both spheres when I actively sought out my peers to "hang with" on a semi-regular basis. Hope you can find a happy medium.
Sometimes, it's good to learn how to do nothing during your free time. If you fill your "unprogrammed hours" with activities, than it's not really free time, is it?
Veg-ing out is totally underrated.
Thanks everyone.
Lorem ... interesting article. And how sweet that you thought of me!
Christine ... balance seems to be the name of the game.
Omis ... yep. Except that it's been so long since I had "free" time, I had all these things to do to fill it! Must schedule some time to veg out :)
I agree... I find I get cranky without sufficient veg-out time... which is what I'm doing right now! :)
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