Ready…Set…RELAX!

Have you ever been given the opportunity to take a few hours for yourself to just…relax?

Has someone ever offered to take the kids for the afternoon so that you can kick back and just…relax?

Well, sometimes I get that beautiful gift and I seem to screw it up.

EVERY. TIME.

Let’s take today, for example.

I woke up with back pains and not feeling all so great. My wonderful other half offered to take the children bowling and grocery shopping after we did a few other necessary things. The house had already been cleaned yesterday, so I could truly relax and enjoy my surroundings. It would give him some ‘Dad’ time with just them and me some rare quiet time.

So we decided to do just that.  It was a plan.

Once I was alone, I recalled that a few – not all – of the light bulbs were out in the kitchen.  They needed replacing and we were out of extra bulbs at home.  The dollar store carries them.

“I’ll make a quick stop”,  I said to myself.

While I’m there, I’m remember all kinds of cleaning and household supplies I need to pick up – and my list grows.  By the time I get to the register, it’s pouring outside.

Once I get to the car and get everything loaded, I realize I’ve knocked over and dumped coffee EVERYWHERE on the upholstered seats.  My stress level increases as rain drips down my forehead.

When I get home, I rush everything inside to minimize more wetness, and do my best to clean up the coffee. I see that it’s time to clean laundry in the dryer and I tend to that.  As I put some newly purchased hand towels away, I see that the kitchen drawer is a mess and I decide that NOW is the time to empty it out.  I also decide that NOW is the time to put away extra Christmas items and turn old towels into rags and store them away in the basement.

Near the sink, I also see my coffee pot needs rinsing from this morning, and the grounds need to be dumped in the trash – but before I can do that, dishes need to be put into the dishwasher.

…What are all those streaks all over the counter?  Didn’t I just clean this place yesterday?

There’s no time for that as I whiz by the counter and dump the coffee grounds into the very full trash can that needs dumping.  Ugh. I wrap it up quickly and take it downstairs to the garage trash.

I’m racing now through the house because I realize that I’ve wasted FAR TOO MUCH TIME ON STUPID STUFF and NO TIME ON RELAXING! I must hurry and get everything dry and put away and get on with my relaxing or my time will be up and let’s face it – who knows when the next time might be when I may be able to snag a few moments of sacred sanity.

Back to the kitchen – I find a way to climb up on the counters to change out the old kitchen light bulbs and replace with the new ones I purchased.  I rewash all the counters – including that streaky area – and realize I might just need a glass of wine to properly relax.  

But all of the wine glasses are either ugly or dirty! I take the one that I want out of the dishwasher and hand wash it and towel dry.

Then I realize I can still taste this morning’s coffee.  I can’t enjoy wine with this coffee taste.  I race upstairs to brush my teeth. While I’m brushing, I see the tangled up mess from the rain that is my hair in the mirror and realize that there is NO WAY I can relax with that mop on my head.  After the teeth get their justice, my hair takes a timeout with the hairbrush.

Ahhh. Much better.  I head downstairs, but still – something’s not quite right.  Ambiance – I need ambiance to properly relax.  Candles. Yes.  I light some candles and dig out a few more.  Better.  Ok, I think I can finally sit down with that glass of wine.

No, wait – I should eat something first – I haven’t done that yet today. I can’t believe I forgot to do that.  I’ll toast an english muffin and have some cottage cheese first.

I get a text.

It’s a beautiful picture of my beautiful children with bowling balls in their hands, all finished up with bowling.

They will be heading home shortly.

Thank goodness I hurried up to relax.