Learning to be Alone
Hello and welcome! Pull up a chair and let’s have a chat.
I’m a class A introvert, so I’m sure that learning to be alone may not be the huge task for me that it would be if I needed to be around people all the time but, that being said, I have never lived by myself. I went from my parent’s home to married home. When I left that marriage, I had three children. I still don’t exactly live alone. Miss Christy lives down stairs and we see each other several times a day. However, my best buddy is gone, and I feel his absence.
Recently Miss Christy went away for the weekend. It was my opportunity to figure out just how I wanted to learn to do this “alone” thing:
The first thing Saturday morning, I put together a pot of chicken with rice soup to keep me from just snacking all weekend (recipe to follow). I declared Saturday to be a small task day. I did not get involved in any long projects; even though that might also be a good way to fill in the time. There were little things to be done in every single room of the house. I wanted time in between tasks to relax and do a I wished. It has been an unbelievable month!
After the soup was going and I journaled for a while, it was time to give back some of the kindness I has been shown in the past weeks. A friend’s mother died, recently, and he and a crew of friends were cleaning out her house. I wasn’t up to helping with the cleaning, but I did take lunch to them. It was the least I could do when folks have done so much for me.
In between tasks, it was nice to read and write. I have two favorite blogs that I read, “Susan After 60” which I have talked about here before, and “Design Mom”. I had gotten far behind on both of them. They were like a breath of fresh air. I’m not much of a podcast or audio book person, but I did catch an episode of Intentional Journey. “Embracing Uncertainty” certainly spoke to the need of the moment for me. In full disclosure, I will tell you that Dr. Deb is my niece, but I am certain you will benefit from the podcast.
Sunday was a day of rest. It can be hard to rest when you see things all around that need to be done. Rest is essential to productivity. We live in a 24/7 world, but it is essential to balance in life the stop the merry go round and get off to rest once in a while. I may do a weekend of rest periodically!
Now for the soup I promised!
Chicken With Rice Soup
Meaty pieces of chicken (I used four drumsticks)
One to two quarts of chicken broth, depending on how thick you like your soup
One package of frozen mixed vegetables
One cup of cooked rice
Place chicken and broth a in slow cooker. Season with salt, pepper, dried basil, and dried onion. When chicken is done, remove from the broth and cool them enough to be able to take the meat off the bones. In the mean time add the vegetables to the broth. When the meat is removed from the bones, return it to the pot. Add the rice and heat everything through.
I hope that you will take the time to enjoy some alone time. Slow down and take time to rest, relax, and regroup.
Until next time,
Helen
My Quiet Place 