What started as an innocent invitation to take a friend out for a birthday supper turned into cooking a meal at home so we could have a more relaxed visit. Add one additional friend and "that" was it. I would throw a ham in the oven, make scalloped potatoes and that would be that.
Except for one thing. I needed an onion. And while I was in the grocery store, I may as well stock up for the week. And while I was out anyway, I could finally fill the car with gas, And wash it. And renew my son's bus pass.
That was it. I would run a marathon of errands, come home, quickly assemble our supper and still have lots of time left over to fine tune the gift I had been working on for my friend.
Then the phone rang.
It was my second son asking if I wanted to meet for lunch. I hadn't left the house yet and not one item on my list of to-do-items had been scratched off. I felt like Mr. Incredible as he caught a crook, saved a cat and perhaps a few more heroic deeds en route to his wedding, telling himself all along the way, "I've still got time!"
Yes, I was Ms. Incredible all right! I met my son for lunch and enjoyed our visit like I had all the time in the world. In fact, I followed him through the parking lot to check out coffee tables and TVs afterwards. "I still had time!"
I ran all of my errands and got home in lots of time to create a supper, take out the garbage and assemble all that I needed to pull off serving a meal. But my harried thoughts turned to "I'm running out of time!!"
I didn't leave enough time to tweak the little project I was working on before I had to print it off, wrap it up and write up a card. I had just enough time to create a first draft without the little touches to make it "just right".
Fortunately (or unfortunately I suppose, depending on how you look at it), I didn't realize this until after my company left. I sat back and enjoyed a leisurely evening of feeding and entertaining guests. I'm a little rusty at entertaining but all went off pretty much as planned. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting from the comfort of my own home. I have fond memories of doing this with some sense of regularity at some time in my previous life. It was truly a "coming home" by "staying home" kind of moment.
My guests left, I tidied up the kitchen, turned on the dishwasher and started to go through the process of getting the house "daycare ready" for this morning.
I retired to my room at the end of the day feeling pretty good about what I accomplished but more importantly, the company I kept throughout the day. I was getting lonely for human companionship.
Looking back, I guess I didn't really have time to accompany my son on his first leg of furniture shopping but I don't regret the fact that I did it anyway. I can always fine tune my friend's gift and regift (a whole new definition of "regifting" here) it another day.
I'm glad I took time for what was important. It was the company I kept that made my day. I'm grateful our meal was palatable and I'm quite excited to have leftovers to carry us through today.
This house isn't sure what hit it this holiday season. From cooking a beef roast for Christmas, to the smell of "Christmas" in the air as I made turkey soup with Mom's leftovers, to a ham on our final leg of my holiday. There were some pretty good aromas wafting through the air here throughout the holidays.
Perhaps I took more quiet time than was necessary but I have a feeling that is what gave me the energy to feel like Ms. Incredible yesterday. I had energy to burn and it felt like I had all the time in the world to do everything I hoped to do with my final day of holidays.
It was a very good holiday. It was a mixture of doing all I wanted to do, all I hoped to do and all I needed to do.
I think I'm ready to face this bright and shiny new year now. How about you? Did you fulfill your want/hope/need tank throughout the holiday? Or did you overdo? How are you facing this bright new year?
I hope you did what you wanted, needed and hoped to do with any of the time off you may have had this holiday season.
Happy January 4th.
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