The Great Be Alone for 24 Hours Experiment

It didn't start out on purpose.

photo by KNW

About midway through last week, I learned that both Sam and Jason were going on separate camping trips this weekend. There was a flurry of finding backpacks and rolling up sleeping bags and adding extra socks to all possible compartments on Thursday night, and then they were gone by the time I got home from work on Friday.

I have this inner voice that says "it's Friday night, and therefore you must do something fun or it's a waste of a Friday night and you'll miss out on something awesome!" (anyone else have this?) Sam was planning on taking the car, so I ignored the voice and opted for a night in. I stole all of Sam's blankets and cuddled up on the couch by myself. I didn't cook dinner for ANYONE, and I spent a few hours watching girly movies that never get picked with my two boys around.

It was SO RELAXING. I let go of my silly need to feel popular or do something important on a Friday night, and it was just what I needed. My alone time was never so intentional or purposeful. (Besides the moment when I panicked, invited myself over to my friend's house, and then when she said yes, I fell asleep. Friend of the year right here.)

After an early bedtime and a late sleep-in, I felt so much better! I relished in the fact that I didn't have to get up and do anything time-specific. When I finally did get up, I was more productive than I've been on a Saturday in a long time. Loads of laundry, some deep cleaning, and a good scrubbing of the kitchen floor. I listened to my music and went at my own pace.

At this point I was going on hour 16 of being totally alone, and it was time to connect with some of my favorite people. So I went out for breakfast with my good friend Caitlin, and later I went to see Hunger Games with my brother Taylor. Both of these people are so awesome, and I loved spending one-on-one time with them.

By the time I got back, they were home! My poor boys had to spend the night in snow and sub-zero temperatures, so hot showers were immediately called for (Sam had a huge snowball fight in the middle of Goblin Valley that sounded pretty epic though). Jason took a long shower, and then curled up on the couch with blankets and promptly fell asleep for five hours (can you spot the Jason?).

So now I've been thinking about being alone. I think as people get older, get married and have kids, it just gets harder to be alone. How do people balance it? Do you like alone time or avoid it? Moms, do you plan time to be alone? What are your favorite ways to recharge when you're alone? I'd love to hear from you! Comment here or tweet me @BrookeEmeryblog.