I need to be reminded why I like being off on
Fridays again. Sure, not setting the alarm is a plus, but I always seem to wake
up early to start the day. Any other
day, a work day, I just want to keep sleeping.
Not so on a day off. I want to
hit the ground running enjoying the day, even it just means running errands. In the summer, it was a treat because my
daughter and I played on my day off. We visited
amusement parks, saw movies, spent big
$$$ shopping, had manicures and pedicures and sometimes we would just hang out
getting ready for people to come swim in our pool over the weekend or now
getting ready to play at the lake.
Since she has been in college, she has spent the
summer months working, studying overseas or starting graduate school. Not as much playing for us. Don’t get me wrong. I do not want to practice hygiene five days a
week every week. Treating patients five
days a week EVERY OTHER WEEK is more than enough. When I even do that (I limit it to the fall
and spring months)!
But I
realized today that Fridays off in the fall or spring is not playtime. Laundry, chores, windows and more were on my
list of things to do. And I stopped at
the windows. I cleaned nine windowsills.
There were too many, they were heavy to hold and clean at the same time (play a
violin here and listen to me whining), and Ray definitely said he was in on it
with me. It was a joint effort. And there are so many of them! Yesterday we took care of the main level
after running a few hours of errands. I
practiced more patience, okay maybe not, in Costco. I thought of the Price Smart stores in
Panama. I made note of the couple in
front of us—she with her super short shorts and small top, and he oblivious to
how to put their two items up on the belt in a timely fashion—or to even push
their cart forward. Back to the windows. 22 windows yesterday. 22 too many.
Tomorrow we clean 12 more. We
cleaned the outside of the house (spider webs), realized we need to get the
exterior painted (note the “get it painted”) and have decided we will wait
until we sell the house. Or the HOA
turns us in due to some chipped paint. The
house is all of six years old. Looking
weathered but probably only to me.
I do understand why housekeepers and cleaning
services say “I don’t do windows”. They are a huge pain. I also remember when we started the researching,
daydreaming and planning retirement to Panama, we were lured by the newsletters
that stated we could live cheap in Panama and hire “housekeepers for just
$10/day and gardeners for $15/day”. Not
that this is really what we would do now since we would have all day and
everyday to do those windows, it’s just funny how our needs and wants have
changed these past eight months. Now
when I look at my home and compare it to what I want in Panama, I look at the
windows. Like Ray and I said today,
“more outdoor space, and about twenty-five fewer windows”!
Being home this weekend, our neighbors are wondering
what the heck we are even doing here.
This is why I go to Lake Anna.
But this house needed tending to. Even though it was just some light housework, those
windows were spread out over three days--just like this post! The best part of being at home was the money we made through Craigslist. We managed to sell/get rid of two bikes, a lawn mower and possibly a treadmill. $$$ for Panama :)
My Fridays off with my daughter used to be so much
better. But we all have to grow up, our dreams change or are simply
realized, and the only way to reach those dreams is allowing time to pass
whether it’s cleaning windows, floating on the lake or talking and walking with
Ray.
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