“Do you want to come?” my husband asks.
“No,” I respond, “I’ll take them next time so you can have a break.”
They walk out the door.
The moment they do I run to get a third slice of pizza, pour myself a light cocktail, and bound up the stairs to our bedroom where I flip on the television and open my laptop.
It is 6:45 PM on Monday night. It is the first time in years—honestly I think it’s been years—I am home in the evening without anyone in the house. Flipping on the TV I take a deep breath and exhale.
I am positively giddy!
In the next hour and a half my children and husband will be at swim team practice. I have two things to accomplish:
- Brainstorm writing ideas for this blog.
- Research The Bachelor contestants and complete my bracket.
Naturally, completing my bracket takes priority. Tonight is the first episode of The Bachelor and I have to be ready!
To be clear, I am not a super fan of The Bachelor franchise. I don’t remember contestants’ names from episode to episode. I don’t follow former contestants on Instagram or Twitter. I don’t watch missed episodes.
I watch The Bachelor because three years ago (?) one of my sorority sisters created a private Facebook group so we can provide colorful commentary as we watch the show together.
I love it. It’s my Girl Time.
[bctt tweet=”What do you do for #metime #moms? I plan my #theBachelor bracket! “]
Spending Time with Friends Matters
You’re a smart reader, so I don’t think I need to back up my claim that finding Girl Time, or Guy Time, is important to your overall health and wellbeing. Just in case, here’s a medical source, a reliable news source, and a source that tells it like it really is…
Even though I know how important it is to spend time with my friends, I find it incredibly hard to find time to do it. Here’s the hardest thing I’m trying to conquer: geography.
Many of the people I love spending time with are far away. So I can read articles with tips for girls’ night out, or girls’ night in, or pretend I’m in my 20s again with these ideas. They’re fantastic! They just don’t help me conquer the geography problem.
I’m on a mission to redesign Girl Time. I want Girl Time regardless of geography.
That’s why my Bachelor viewing group on Facebook is so important to me. For one hour–because the start time of the show interferes with the kids’ bedtime–I “go” somewhere with my girlfriends. We watch together. We laugh. We compare who managed to get their husband, boyfriend, partner, etc. to watch with them. We talk about whether anyone risked having a cocktail on a Monday night. We debate which contestants are drunk.
For that brief hour I’m on my own play date. I’m having Girl Time and it doesn’t matter that my girlfriends are far away.
I need more of this. Do you have any suggestions?
###
Back in our bedroom I’m ready to work on my Bachelor bracket. Out of habit I check my email first and discover an important message:
“Due to a power outage the pool is closed. Swim team practice will be rescheduled.”
I look at the clock. My husband and children left the house fifteen minutes ago.
::sigh::
Sometimes play dates and Girl Time have to get rescheduled.
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