Alone

I am sitting on the couch, drinking my cup of coffee and watching the news. It is quiet. I am not getting multiple breakfasts ready, washing dishes or arguing with a 4 year old about life. I am simply waking up at my own pace, a rarity in my life. Today I am thankful my "me" time. As a working mom, I do not get a lot of alone time. After I drop P off at school in the morning, I get 7 minutes (9 if I get caught at the light at the top of the offramp) of "me" time before walking into my classroom. After that, I usually don't get any more alone time until after 8pm and that's usually only a few minutes. I am not complaining in the least. I would not change my life for anything. However, it just makes me thankful when I get an extended amount of alone time.
Growing up, I wanted a marriage like my parents have. I wanted to be connected with someone 24/7 the way they are. But, once I became an adult that goal changed for me. When Rob and I got married, our marriage was different. He worked out of town a lot and I did my own thing. It worked for us because it had to but it wasn't what either of us wanted. After moving to LA and getting a job in management, he is home every night. We do a lot more as a family. We sit down to eat together every night. We drive to football and soccer games together. We go to church together on Sundays. I feel like we are a team more than we ever have been. But, I still like my "me" time. Whether that's going out with girlfriends, watching a cheesy Hallmark movie by myself or just reading in bed after the boys are in bed. I NEED that time to decompress. For awhile I thought that meant something was wrong with our marriage. I didn't want, nor need, to be around Rob 24/7 to be happy. But, after spending hundreds of dollars in counseling last year, I realized that our marriage works just fine for us. In fact, it's perfect for us. We don't have to be connected at the hip. Our personalities don't work that way.
Rob took the boys to deer camp this weekend because I had photo shoots and I wanted to get the house cleaned for my parents' visit later this week (yay!). As much as I love being a wife and a mother, I have enjoyed this weekend by myself. I have run a copious amount of errands and they have been quiet and at my leisure. I have lounged around, watching what I want to watch. I went to bed late one night and to bed early the next. I have edited and done lesson plans without feeling guilty for being behind a computer screen, ignoring my family.
So, today, I am thankful for "me" time. I wouldn't want it for a long period of time. But, today, I am thankful for the weekend I have had to myself. My alone time makes me a better wife, a better mother and for that I am thankful.