I love Scrabble. One of my Christmas gifts was the electronic version of Scrabble for playing on the laptop. I had a chance to enjoy it a couple of times in the week between Christmas and New Year’s, but haven’t played it much since. As I said in my last blog post, with the demands of work, school and home life, there just isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done and still have a few minutes left over for pursuing my own interests. I’m not whining about it. I’m just stating a fact. It’s true for all working moms – we tend to give up some of our own time in order to be good employees at work and to keep our households in order. In the scheme of priorities, our own interests and hobbies are outranked by almost everything else.
But this week, I’m going to try something new. I resolve to carve out one hour per day for myself. I feel giddy just thinking about it! If the weather is nice, I’ll take a walk or sit on my patio (after I get home from work and dinner is over) and enjoy the evening sky. If it’s rainy, I’ll curl up on my sofa and read or maybe play some electronic Scrabble.
Off to a good start
Since Sunday was such a gorgeous day, I decided to walk at one of my favorite spots – Pennypack Ecological Trust in Huntingdon Valley. It’s a green, forested oasis in the middle of my township, only minutes from where I live. The trees form a cool canopy of shade and the creek babbles through the forest. It’s an amazing place and if you live in the Philadelphia area, I highly recommend it for walking, bird watching, hiking or biking.
Although I could have been home cleaning or doing laundry (my usual Sunday activities), I decided to forget about the work and just get away for an hour, walking and listening to my favorite music. It was wonderful! When I returned home, I felt as if my batteries had been recharged!
To help you appreciate the beauty and restorative environment of Pennypack Ecological Trust, take a look at some pictures that I snapped while walking along the creek:
The main trail at Pennypack
A peaceful scene along Pennypack Creek
“Me” Time – To be continued
The question is, will I be able to continue to find time for myself this week? I’ll give it a shot and will let you know if I’m successful. Hopefully, I’ll get in some more walking and maybe I’ll work on that Scrabble score, too!
