Had a lovely weekend at the house (sans hot water but who cares, it's 98 degrees out). But an interesting event occurred which has tickled my brain somewhat since Saturday. On Saturday, Mr. D and I walked the dogs, went out for breakfast (as is our custom on Saturday), got a little exercise, did laundry, swam in the pool, did things that two consenting adults do, saw Harry Potter 7 Pt2, watched a little TV and ate dinner. So sounds like a full and fun day, no? Except when this list was complete, it was 7:15 p.m. So we are literally staring at one another in the living room going "what the hell do we do now?" We were done with "screen" time, weather was a little yuck to swim again, and the best I could come up with was play a board game or read. I even had been reading my old William Shakespeare book the night before and told Mr. D I could read him sonnets aloud....yea, that look was priceless.
In the end, we went out to our local favorite bistro, had more wine (50% off all bottles this month - woohoo!) and chatted. Yet, I couldn't help but feel like a failure at that moment. I mean, here we are, a couple who has committed to being "just us" for the rest of our lives and the thought of sitting on the couch together with no TV made us crazy. Instead, we need stimulation from an external source?
Yet, is that really so bad? I have always felt that the road to mental instability in a person's later years is attributable in part to isolation. Mr. D went on a boy's trip a month ago and 24 hours into my slovenly, wine-soaked, TV-watching weekend at home, I was absolutely bored out of my mind! It's a weird contradiction - you need that contact and community with others or you lose yourself. And it's not like we partied all night at a loud nightclub (not that we really have those in our town). Rather, we merely went somewhere that we were comfortable, talked and watched others doing the same thing. I have sometimes thought in a negative light about people who are "regulars" at such places but, I sort of get it now, especially if you are single. Obviously, though moderation is key as with everything. Getting out with peers and even strangers is great, just not every night. And at that moment, Mr. D and I needed some "live" entertainment to shake us up and get the mental juices flowing. And it's no different for those with children. They need time away like that to recharge and have adult conversation and get out of "mommy" & "daddy" mode. So don't feel bad about spending a little money going out for drinks or dinner (even if you are pinching pennies for a remodel). It's cheaper than a therapist right?
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