Thursday, March 9, 2017

Lunch for One

I eat lunch almost every day alone. I'm a writer, a stay-at-home mom, so most of the hours between drop off and pick up are spent by myself. Because I'm new to the area, I have few friends I can call on to meet for lunch or coffee. Usually, that's okay. Those hours between pick up and drop off (save for most of the hours when I'm asleep--thankfully my kids sleep through the night now) are loud, crazy, full, and busy. All in really good ways. So the hours when those bringers of loud, crazy, full, busy-ness are quiet, still.

Mostly, that's okay.

Today I made myself a chef salad. I tossed romaine with a homemade vinaigrette of red wine, olive oil, and dijon mustard. On top of that I placed rows of the following: blue cheese crumbles, sliced deli turkey, cherry tomatoes, diced avocado, and I even sizzled up a strip of bacon for myself today. It was me and the New York Times Book Review (must finish it before the next one arrives on Sunday). Sunny sniffed at my bacon, but she didn't get any.


I am alone, but am I lonely? So many of my hours are spent alone, but I'm not usually lonely. I listen to audiobook after audiobook to fill the quiet, to keep me company. Sometimes, though, if I can be honest, the audiobooks are a coping mechanism--I'm old enough to be wise enough to know that.

Mostly, that's okay.

It makes the loud, crazy, full, busy hours with my three kids all the sweeter. And it makes the quiet lunches like this one all the richer.


2 comments:

shogem said...

What a nice quiet way to enjoy all that you have. Sounds so peaceful and calm.

Anonymous said...

It's nice that you have your dog Sunny to keep you company. I too am at a table for one during the day, for half the week, the other half its a table for 25!