Monday morning brings a special kind of doldrums to the mama who chooses to stay at home.  The solitude of the week is desirable in its own special way; The calm of the weekday morning is quite cozy, The luxury of choice in the day is the envy of the working partner, The opportunity to provide the background for the days work is exciting.  But, the weekend.  Oh, the weekend.  My smile is brighter on the days I get to share it with my husband.  Excursions are completed with an ease that is impossible to achieve while solo parenting.  In fact, they are enjoyed with such greatness and little stress (relatively speaking here), that I look forward to them starting Sunday night.

And on top of this, occasionally I get the rare opportunity to just up and leave.  I took the advice of a persuasive husband, and though I had no partner in crime beside me (mama’s of young children are so hard to wrangle up for an evening out on short notice), I will admit, I took full advantage of the sweet southern city that lies north of me.

I wandered, and window shopped, and really shopped, and drank good dark beer, and even got my tarot cards read.  I should quite like to report that I am now officially a true believer.  And why not really?  This whole life thing is so mysterious anyways, who is to stay a strange deck of color blotted cards doesn’t know what is next.  I sure don’t, so it is nice to know I can depend on something.

 I will admit, it is strange to sit at a busy bar, unnoticed and disheveled, amidst many groups of folks dressed to the nines, a few drinks deep, flirting and dancing and merry-making in general.  At first I sat amongst the crowds quiet and uncomfortable with a look of nervousness in my eyes, if not sheer terror on my face.  After a half a beer I realized this, laughed at myself and doodled on a napkin while indulging in some good old-fashioned people watching.  I recommend this for all mama’s and papa’s who perhaps feel boxed in at the moment.  All the different people doing all their different things makes you feel tiny again.  Not so… in charge… so grown.

I got the best of both worlds at this weeks end.

Though I yearn for more of these days, I am refreshed.  I am relaxed.  But most of all, after all that, I am me.