Christmas is over and now begins the twilight time of the year (no I don’t mean the vampire movies).<\/p>\n

I have been blessed (?) for the past many<\/i> years to have off the week between Christmas and New Years. When the kids were little it was definitely a blessing as we would spend time playing together and\/or going to Myrtle Beach because the rates were super cheap (before everyone discovered this trick). They were easily amused at the beach with the Lazy River, cable TV with channels we didn’t have at home, and one game of mini-golf somewhere. Husband and I enjoyed time to read (me) or channel surf (him) and look out the windows at the ocean.<\/p>\n

Now, it’s different. We quit going to the beach as the rates weren’t as fantastic as they used to be and the kids just aren’t as easily amused. With the addition of Netflix streaming at home, the cable channels at the beach no longer hold their attention, and the lazy river isn’t as entertaining to an 18, 15, and 12 year old as when they were 9, 6, and 3.<\/p>\n

So I’m left with time on my hands to start reflecting and trying to not lapse into “coulda, shoulda, woulda” mode. You know the drill – looking back over the year with “I coulda __________” or “I shoulda _______” or “I woulda ______”. Or there’s even the second guessing of the holiday. “I coulda gotten them exactly what they wanted if I had shopped earlier”‘; “I shoulda cleaned the house earlier than Christmas Eve”; or “I woulda skipped church if I had realized how fractured the morning would feel”.<\/p>\n

Then comes the question of how to spend this week. What’s the right balance of play and work? Even though I don’t have to go to the office, there is a pressure to “accomplish” something with this gift of untethered time. We need to straighten up the basement, rearrange the home office, work on some end of the year tasks, and yet manage to have some fun.<\/p>\n

Think I’ll go drink some more coffee and ponder . . .<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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