All Alone Again.
What to do while the kids are at school.
That time of yearly abandonment has come again. You drop the kids off at school or take them with the dogs to the neighborhood bus stop. On the way home you wonder, "What the hell am I going to do now?"
Ten years ago, while they were still in diapers that wouldn't have been an issue. You would have loved to escape into the world and leave your crying, screaming, puke smelling, colicky, terror-inducing baby in someone else's hands. But somehow, since then, they have managed to wiggle their way into your heart and thoroughly occupy your schedule as well.
Prolonged loneliness can lead to some terrible things. All of which you do not deserve. You are a wonderful person and a great mother or father.
“Why do people have to be this lonely? What's the point of it all? Millions of people in this world, all of them yearning, looking to others to satisfy them, yet isolating themselves. Why? Was the earth put here just to nourish human loneliness?”
― Haruki Murakami, Sputnik Sweetheart
Go ahead and take a risk and put yourself out there. There are a variety of ways you can express yourself and ways to share yourself with the world now that your children are in school.
1. Take an online class. Perk up your brain and get some learning done.
2. Find a part time job. Working part time is a great way to meet new friends and get a little bit of spending money for yourself.
3. Volunteer in your kids' school. If your kids are elementary through middle school the schools love parent volunteers. There are so many ways to serve.
4. Volunteer at your local hospital. Every Hospital usually has a volunteer services department. Check in with them to see what their specific needs are.
5. Go treasure hunting for the most perfect item and limit yourself to just one perfect item. Think of it as an adventure. Be careful not to turn it into a shopping spree. Depression and shopping is a BAD combination.
6. Become a consultant. Some plans are Lia Sophia, Avon, Tastefully Simple, and Scensy.
7. Attend some clubs. Book clubs are numerous in the south. Your local book store should know all about those types of clubs. Your local library will also have a list of the local clubs in your area.
8. Lead a local Girl Scout or Boy Scout troop.
9. Join a sporting league. A typical bowling league usually takes 3 hours one day of the week.
10. Start working out at the gym. A good thirty minutes three to five times a week will do your body all sorts of good.
11. Work on your inner being. I cannot recommend high enough the book, "Captivating " by John and Stasi Eldredge. If you want to know what makes us women tick and what we strive for in life, this book will lay it all out for you in black and white. They also write one about the inner workings of the man called, "Wild at Heart."
12. Start walking around the neighborhood everyday. What better way to meet people and learn who your neighbors are and what secret daily events they are up to.
Heidi Smith Luedtke in her article, "Ten things to do while the kids are away, " for Washington Family Magazine.com, http://www.washingtonfamily.com/page/Ten-Things-to-Do-While-the-Kids-Are-Away , gives you her suggestions for how to erase the blues of being all alone during the school year.
I would suggest taking a well deserved nap, or two. But don't stay in bed too long. You are to much of a valuable resource and special person to linger inside all day. Go enjoy your life and your day!
All in all, life can and will begin again. A new outlook is on the horizon, just needs to be ordered is all. Once you find peace in the solitude you will wonder, come May, how the hell you are going to survive the summer with your kids home all day.
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