Attitude of Gratitude, Day 13

November 13: What do you do to take time out for yourself?

I like to do things that are pretty solitary to relax. Reading, mostly mysteries, knitting, sewing, and thinking about knitting and sewing are things that I do for me. I like to stay home, because it sometimes feel I am gone a lot. I take baths, usually reading a book. Being at home makes me happy. We have a place in central Washington, which my husband calls our Fortress of Solitude. It's very quiet there, and has a whole different feel - we don't have neighbors to the east, and the people to the west aren't there very often, so most of the time we are alone there. I like to listen to the wind on the ridge above us, watch the snow fall, and enjoy the variations the seasons bring.I also like to walk and cycle, mostly with my husband. We have a tandem, and we ride well together. We are planning on participating in the Northwest Tandem Rally next summer, so we'll start riding and training for that in the spring.

I realized as I was writing this that I don't do too many things with others outside of my husband and family. I need weekends. There was a time when we were involved in a bike club, but once that organization fell apart, we sort of withdrew into ourselves. I think for me, it's because school is a very busy place; I am rarely alone, and like so many other educators, have a lot of interactions in a day. I don't want to interact when I get home. I'm not sure if I should be worried about my self-imposed hermit-hood, but for now I'm ok with it.