"What are you doing, Lauren?" they asked. What should have been an innocent question gave me a pit in my stomach. Jack would be working all weekend and I would have the kids. I wasn't sure if they had plans or not. Jack and I did have plans to see a play Saturday night, but that was it. The pit in my stomach grew larger when I thought about the Tuesday after the holiday weekend, when everyone comes back with tales from their holiday.
Being a doctor's wife, I have experienced every holiday, birthday and anniversary alone, all more than once. That is part of the deal of working a field that requires 24/7 coverage: someone always has to work.
I hadn't thought about the loneliness of the Tuesday after a holiday weekend in a long time. Before, I was a stay-at-home-mom, so I didn't have to go talk to a group of colleagues about my weekend, what I did or didn't do. Northeast Seattle is a ghost town over holiday weekends. My friends are usually not available because their families are often just as busy or out of town, too.
Thursday, I was feeling super cruddy about my lack of plans for the weekend.
So I made some. I texted Ellen and Carla to see what they were up to. They both had half a day open. I didn't want to just walk Green Lake for the 3,000th time. I dusted off three books of walks in the Seattle area. We picked walks outside of Northeast Seattle. Carla and I walked Interlaken Park and ate lunch at the Volunteer Park Cafe. Ellen and I went to the Boeing Creek Park in Shoreline and then Richmond Beach. Yesterday, I took the Boy to Duthe, a mountain bike park where he rode a trail called Gravy Train with thirteen roller hills jumps. I logged about 30 miles biking for the "Bike Everywhere Challenge."
Peer pressure made me get off my duff and make plans, whereas in the past I didn't have to report to anyone about my weekend. Even if my colleagues don't ask about my plans, that is fine. I know I had a good weekend.
Ellen crossing the creek at Boeing Creek Park. This trail was super sketchy, which was fun. |
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