The Cat's Away...

Gosh, what’s that very old saying about the cat and the mice? Hmmmm… Oh yes, “When the cat’s away, the mice will play.” Well, I have a slightly different take on it: “When the cat’s away, the mouse gets a lot more done.” Doesn’t have the same ring, does it?

Yeah, but right now the Center of the Universe (CoTU) is out of town for a few days, and I’m knocking stuff off my ‘to-do’ list right and left. –and it feels like play…

Research the Grand Canyon trip: check.

Iron CoTU’s nineteen shirts and four pairs of pants previously held over from last summer: check.

Take the in-laws to their volunteer gig: check.

Rearrange the garbage can area of the garage: check.

Make copies of in-laws’ tax returns, affix postage, and mail: check, check and the check is in the mail.

Am I tired? Yes, but energized, too, because I’m getting somewhere. I’ve also gone to the gym both days he’s been gone, and will continue to go and work out, because I need it.

So what’s the difference here? It can’t just be that I’m only making meals (and doing dishes) for one instead of for two. That just wouldn’t make sense. It can’t be that we spend so much quality time interacting when he’s here. In fact, if it weren’t for the sexual harassment, some days there’d be no interaction at all. The truth is, when he’s at home and I’m away, he feels bereft because there’s no one here to ignore.

I’m thinking it’s just a difference in the energy flow. I’ve got the ball in my court, and I’m shooting lay-ups, free throws, and whatever I feel like. It feels free and open. I’m playing ‘horse’ against myself, and I’m winning. It’s different. Do I miss him? Yep, I do. But I’m enjoying the feeling of open space this seems to have created, and hoping I will carry it over to the time when he’s back.

Meanwhile, I can do the daily Sudoku while I eat my lunch, and the New York Times crossword puzzle while I eat my dinner. It’s not as much fun as the verbal ping-pong match of a long-hitched couple like us, but it’ll have to do for a few more days.

(Post to my blog: check!)