My Week

by Dotti

This week is Fall Break week around here and my daughter and granddaughter have been spending the week at Walt Disney World. That meant I HAVE A WHOLE WEEK TO MYSELF! Yes, you read that correctly. No pick up lines, no after school snacks, no homework, no piano practice, no chauffeur service.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love my granddaughter and having her in my home each afternoon after school is a delight. But ...

A WHOLE WEEK TO MYSELF!

So, what did I do? Whatever I darn well pleased.

For starters, I left the breakfast dishes on the counter ...

... grabbed my camera and headed outside into the intoxicating morning light.

There were flowers in my garden.

There were the remains of flowers from the summer past.

I had lunch on my back porch with my Kindle and, of course, a wee dessert afterwards while I read my book a while longer.

 A pause here to tell you about my book. I'm a huge fan of Louise Penny and if you like mysteries that are not your cozy British mysteries but something with very likable characters and plenty of suspense, you'll like her, too. Usually I'm right on top of a new book when it comes out but this time I set it aside saving it for a time when I knew I could savor it. This was the week. And I am so glad I did. It is her best book in the Inspector Gamache series. I'll finish it this evening and as I suspect we all do when we come to the end of a well-loved and much-enjoyed book, we're conflicted about finishing it and putting the characters back within the covers. And that's exactly how I feel right now.

Anyhow, moving right along, to tell you about my week.

I went shopping. No pictures.

I walked around the neighborhood and each time met up with friends and neighbors, taking time to visit. Too often it's just a nod of the head. This week I spent time. It was delightful. No pictures.

What I didn't do: cook and clean. Fortunately, my husband is not a person who demands dinner on the table at 6:30. In fact, as I write this, he's outside mowing the grass and will fix his own snack later. If we wanted a real supper, I told him he was taking me out. After all, this was my week.

I visited the garden in the evenings and found this as well as the photo uptop, which is SOOC.

Oh! I baked a cinnamon coffee cake. Just because.

And today, after having lunch with a friend, I bought myself some sunflowers.

So, is there a point to this post? Yes, there is. 

We've said it here before, we'll say it again: take time for yourself. Self-care is so important. There's no question that five days to do exactly as I pleased was a real luxury, not something that will happen often, maybe never again. But whether it's a day, a half day, an hour, or just lunch with a friend, take time for yourself.

It will recharge your batteries, lift your spirits, help you be more patient and loving, help you see the sunshine through the gloom. When we don't take care of ourselves, we're cheating ourselves and those we love. We are better care takers when we take care of ourselves first.

Promise me you'll do at least one thing for yourself this weekend. You'll be glad you did.