When the cat is away, the mouse will sleep play.

When the cat is away, the mouse will be happy sad.

When the cat is away, the mouse will be alone and loving it lonely.

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When the cat is away, the mouse will play… by herself.

Nooooo!!! Not THAT kind of playing by herself! Get your head out of the gutter!

When the cat is away, the mouse will discover all sorts of new things.

My husband was away on a quick business trip. And what I realized about being alone was kind of empowering.

There were a few positives:

  • My bathroom floor was clear at 7am (it’s usually covered with someone’s underwear). I didn’t know it’s THAT difficult to make it to the laundry hamper. 😉
  • Because I was alone, I prepared like a girl scout. I got up earlier, and things seemed to run even smoother because having no backup pushed me to be extra prepared and organized.
  • I read magazines, I cleaned out my nightstand, I watched movies. I did things I haven’t done in a while to kill time, simply because I had no one to talk to. It was liberating.
  • I didn’t cook… I just took those kiddies for pizza. Your dinner is served!
  • I slept. Like a BABY. No late night ESPN going in the bedroom, no iPhone backlight keeping me up, no pillow flipping to contend with. And no night nudges for YOU KNOW WHAT! Just peace and quiet. And lots of zzzz’s.
  • I was the boss. It felt nice. I set the bedtime, the menu, the lunch hour, the activities. There was no one to consult with, so if I said, “Hey let’s go bike riding,” we went bike riding.
  • I spent an extra hour at the outdoor market yesterday (hubby can only do outdoor markets for so long).
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My amazing find at the market. Look at these!

There were a few negatives:

  • I missed my amazing man of 18 years.
  • My boys missed their incredible dad.
  • Um, that’s all I’ve got…

And finally, there were a few big realizations:

  • Being alone doesn’t have to be lonely. It can actually be kind of WONDERFUL. To become truly comfortable with oneself without needing the constant stimulation of others, is a process. With all of life’s duties and responsibilities, being alone forces us to nurture ourselves. I feel regrouped and refreshed today.
  • Instead of looking to make plans with friends to compensate for being alone, I simply embraced the aloneness. I went to bed early, I forced myself to appreciate the quiet. I made myself BE quiet. In stillness, comes clarity.
  • We don’t know just how resourceful, creative and resilient we are as women, until we’re forced to be alone.

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So, will I be thrilled to see my husband when he returns? You bet. It’s all the aloneness I want in my life. But, I will carry these lessons with me going forward.

I shared a video once before, and I want to share it again. If you watch without judgement, until the end, I think you will understand what I’m saying today.

This video is magic.

I’d love to know, can you relate to any of this? How do you feel when your partner goes out of town? Are you comfortable and happy being alone, or do you feel lonely? Should I feel guilty for enjoying my rare alone time – does this make me a bad wife?  How do you feel about being alone in general? I’d love to hear….

Erica3