Friday nights spent alone are not shameful. They are beautiful. Wonderful excuses for time to get in touch with you. Oh yeah touching required. That is definitely not shameful. No way, they should not be considered anything but. It is very important time to yourself, by yourself. A weeks worth of workdays makes Friday night deadly. It is not just the tired, it is the time. Alone, with yourself. Books, baths, wine, TV, Thai food, magazines. It is all about you and yourself. Not such a fan of baths, sitting in that dirty water, but you get the picture; it is about getting back to you. Whatever that may mean. The week was about them. About your job. Your obligations. The laundry. Walking the dog. Going to the gym. But Friday night. That time is for you. Well at least it is for me.
Even single I felt this way. And now when there is a built in playmate it is no different. Run, play, gallivant with your boys. Because, at times, I prefer being here, alone. No I wouldn't turn down plans. I still don't necessarily. I mean "hey wanna grab a drink", may not drag me out. But concrete plans and events are not missed. I am not in the habit of arbitrarily turning down invites. I am not that pretentious. And I am also a big fan of the "lets get a drink after work" idea. It is generally not happy hour. Not with these hours. Not when there is a dog to go home and walk. It is closer to seven and others have had many happy hours by then. But once I am home, settled, fed and in new clothing, it is very hard to leave again. Very. Sometimes I assign myself tasks. Like checking out the cheesy clothes at Old Navy. The mall is a mecca for activity on a Friday night. But I am not self conscious, even if it is couple-rama at the mall. Movie and dinner dates. Babies, mommies, and daddies, shopping. Starbucks. You just breeze by on a mission for a short skirt. Holding shopping bags proudly as a display of freedom. Looking for something fun. Maybe to wear out the following night. Since that is when the plans happen. Content in that I have a couch and an over sized Tulane t-shirt to go home to.
And that is so what Friday nights are about. That and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Those are tasks I can conquer. And if I don't. Who the hell cares? It may not even mean getting into bed early. If there is a Sex and the City episode or a bottle of wine to finish, or both, it could easily be 1 am before the sheets are turned down. Or even a curfew of 9 pm; where the wine works its wonders and the week wears me down, it is all I can do to get through a whole episode of What Not to Wear. Really there is no rhyme or reason, it is just what feels good. And being at home enjoying the peace usually feels pretty flippin' good.
I just love love love the quiet. The calm. The decadent niceness of doing girly things. The fact that Saturday is there for the taking. Errands, the gym, dates and plans. The grind, well the weekend grind, starts up again. But I am ready for it, since Friday night was all for me. Damn if there is shame in that.
Labels: Everyday Life, Perspective
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Paige Jennifer said:
Solo Friday nights are the bestest! You get to decompress, be selfish and just lay low. None of that silly eyelash curling and lip puckering. I can spend Saturday night being a social diva but Friday night? Friday night I just want to be me.
- 1:47 PM
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anne said:
It is really just that great. Maybe throw in a manicure and I am golden.
- 2:35 PM
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Natalie said:
What a coincidence- hubby is gone and I just had such an evening tonight (even though it's only Tuesday...). Vietnamese food, bath, facial, truffles, reading some blogs and then going to bed to read. Heavenly.
- 7:19 PM
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anne said:
MB: That sounds like a glorious evening. Enjoy!
- 7:35 AM
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Ally said:
I love working out on Friday nights. The gym is empty, and I don't feel like I have to cut my workout short to get home and go to bed early for work the next day.
And grocery shopping on Friday nights is good too because no one else is there.
I LOVE unplanned Friday nights (which I actually usually plan), and I see that I'm not alone.- 7:37 AM
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megabrooke said:
I love these kind of nights. Friday, or otherwise. Also love What Not to Wear and of course Sex and the City. I went on a NYC tour of S&TC this weekend. So wonderful!
Happy Holidays:)- 7:51 AM
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anne said:
Ally: the gym is awesome on Friday nights, then it also feels okay to consume gobs of Thai food.
Brookem: how was the tour?- 8:15 AM
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megabrooke said:
It was SO good. I'm going to have to write about it soon. I loved every minute of it.
- 11:37 AM
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thethinker said:
I love Friday nights for much the same reason. An end to the school week (rather than a work week), but an end just the same. Subtract the wine and you've got my Friday night.
- 9:42 PM
