Slowing Down | Thankful Thursdays 09.01.2016

I’m so excited for our Labor Day Weekend plans. We’ll be doing nothing. Yes, nothing. And when we’re done, we’ll be do more of the same. Nothing.

I think my months, or perhaps year long missions behind the wheel have done me in. After a busy summer, clocking more than 3,000 miles in the car, the idea of honing my sloth skills is exactly what I’m looking forward to.

It’s not like I’ll really be doing nothing. The weekend kicks off with dinner and an old friend tonight at a new restaurant in town. You have no idea how big that is for a tiny town. Okay, it’s not in my town exactly. All we have is a post office, which happens to be conveniently located across the road from my house. A container of milk is a 12 mile drive away, but a stamp is only a 1 minute walk.

Yet again, I digress. My best of the bestest friends is coming for a visit on Sunday. She wonderfully insisted on coming to me because of all the driving I do these days. I’ll admit, I was kind of close to insisting I go to her. I don’t have a grand estate, like many of my friend’s friends do. I often wonder if that’s why no one comes up to see us, and I’m always schlepping into NYC.

With close friends, you make the space you have work, but there are no spacious guest rooms, and we only have one bathroom, in total. There’s always a warm welcome, and yummy food, but it’s more like camping, with all the kids in twin beds and air mattresses in one room, and adult guests on the sofa bed in the family room (I bought one with a great quality memory foam mattress for this very reason). They can close the door for privacy at night, but the family room is the size of a shoebox. Don’t get me wrong. I love my tiny house (around 985 square feet). It works for us wonderfully, and the fact that I own it outright, bought with a little nest egg three years ago is something I’m incredibly proud to own.

Still, my bestie has a huge, beautiful house in Weschester. When we go visit, there’s a whole downstairs for us to stay over. My house would fit inside her living room. As only friends that love you, and have known you since freshman year of high school, would do, she called bullshit, and told me to stop being so ridiculous. Last time we saw each other was four months ago for a 15 minute chat outside her office building in Times Square. I realized I was nearby for a work event, and called on the chance she wasn’t busy in meetings. Those 15 minutes were the highlight of my day.

Incidentally, a little known fact about my best friend—she lives on Jennifer Lane. How cool is that? When she first saw the house, and fell in love with it, she said the street name was a sign it was meant to be (and if you’re reading this, and I’m totally misremembering that story, do not burst my bubble, Jeanise).

So, no, I will not be in total sloth mode this weekend. I’ll slap on my eyebrows and some lipstick. Maybe even put on a pretty dress for tonight’s dinner with one of my other besties (is it okay to call guy friends besties—why does that sound weird to me). And, there might even be some pie-making in my future. For the most part, though, I just want to focus on slowing down a little before the busyness of September sets in. Hope everyone had an amazing summer!