As the end of my two week medical leave from work nears, I think to myself, “that wasn’t so bad.  The time flew by.”  My days were at first spent sleeping and recovering.  As I gained my strength back little by little and started to feel like myself again, I started to actually enjoy my time off. I had forgotten how much I liked being home during the days doing housewifey things. It’s nice not being on a schedule and even nicer to sleep in a little.  Yes, I could get used to this kind of lifestyle!

As a young girl, I always thought the tv moms were super cool!  I wanted to be the Samantha Stevens of the neighborhood.  Her home was like a magazine layout.  Her husband had an awesome advertising job in the city and every night when he got home it was cocktail hour.  She had beautiful dresses and perfect hair and drove a convertible.   Her friends would drop over for coffee in the mornings.  Most of them would just let themselves in as if that was just the normal way that people interacted. (Who does that in real life?)  She always had a flurry of fun activities planned during the day that included lunches at fancy restaurants or outings in the city.  Yes!  This was the life I wanted!!

Recently, I’ve gotten a little taste of this.  I got to talk to my dear friend Mary the other morning.  This was a treat!  She is one of my closest friends.  She’s a tiny little thing filled with endless amounts of energy.  Her stories are the best!  She is animated and lively as she tells them.  Bruce and I love to vacation with her and her hubs!  We have been to both the East and West coasts with them.  The trips are always memorable and end way too quickly.  Even tho we both had busy days to get to, (well, I was suppose to be resting), we talked for hours, in our robes, and drank coffee while doing it.  After catching up on each others family’s and discussing the redecorating we were both in dire need of, we said our goodbyes and started our days.  It was close to noon by this time. Yes!  This was the life of Samantha Stevens!!  I can start my day whenever I want.   I am on no schedule.  I have nothing pressing to do. If I want to stay in my pj’s until noon, Im going to.  *nods*

I have picked up a few bad habits while I have been home these past two weeks.  Lauren, my beautiful daughter in law, has gotten me hooked on the Kardashians.  Bruce frowns upon this new guilty pleasure of mine.  He walked into the room one day while I was right in the middle of a Kardashian marathon and looked at me in disgusted disbelief.  “Are you actually watching this trash?”  I shhhush’d him without taking my eyes off the tv.   He walked away mumbling something and I continued to watch the show.  It’s like watching a train wreck.  You know you shouldn’t look but you can’t take your eyes off of it.  I have also started watching episodes of  Kourtney and Kim Take Miami.  I do this at night when there is nothing else on.  If I hear Bruce coming up the stairs, my heart starts to race and I flip the channel real quick.  I have gotten tricky while being at home recouping.  It feels a little sneaky and a tad bit rebellious.  I know that these habits will die as soon as I go back to work.  No harm no foul.  Right?

Other than staying in my pj’s until noon and picking up a few bad habits, my time at home has been pleasant.  I  made a new friend, Tuan, who is now helping me to redecorate my family room.  I stumbled upon this new,  awesome friendship while browsing the furniture stores and looking for new ideas for a front room facelift.  We started talking and before I knew it, I had a confirmed appointment with him for a home visit.  Wow.  How did that happen?   He came out on the day we had agreed upon.  I greeted him at the door and he flew in like a tornado and immediately started shaking things up.  This was exactly what I needed!  Someone who could make split second decisions.  This was very Samantha Stevens!!  I couldn’t help but get caught up in his flamboyant enthusiasm.   He informed me that while my room was lovely, it was very outdated and instead of just needing a couch, as was my original plan, I actually needed to replace everything.  Before I knew it, he had  overhauled the entire room.   He had an itemized list and tally of what everything was going to cost me and handed it to me as he breezed back out the door for his next appointment.   This overwhelmed me.  It was major sensory overload.   I just looked down at it in my hand and then back up at him.  I thanked him for coming.  We ended up only ordering the sofa.    It turns out that I am a creature of habit and my mode is a much slower pace.

Now I am nearing the end of my time at home.  I had forgotten how much I enjoy having the days to myself.  I am going to miss the freedom and  luxury of being able to do whatever I want all day long.  Whether I want to watch trash TV all day or spend it in my pj’s on the phone with friends, the choice is mine.  As much as I wanted to be like Samantha Stevens when I grew up, I think a lifestyle with a little more structure and routine is best for me.  I look forward to going back to work.  I miss my responsibilities there and miss my friends.  It will be good to be back in a routine.

Up until a few years ago, my major role in life was being a stay at home mom.  I consider myself fortunate to be part of a generation that was able to choose whether to stay home and run a household or to go to work and juggle both career and family.   I chose to be a stay at home mom.   The day my youngest son, Brian, moved away to college, I knew my life as I had known it up to this point was about to change.  I was ready for the change, though.  I was ready to get a part time job and to spend my time doing things I enjoyed.  I love cooking and photography ~ travel and writing.  I also love my job.  I count my blessings on a daily basis for being given the opportunity to explore all of these passions.  I do not take lightly, the fact that I have a comfortable and beautiful home.  I am grateful everyday for the gift of time spent with dear friends, my amazing hubby and my healthy family.