“Quiet time is good but gets old.”
My cousin sent me that text last night, and it hit home.
I’ve been away from my family the whole week. No wife. No kids. No dogs.
I don’t like it.
I got a lot of work done. I did some things for me. The weather was generally good, and I talked to some interesting people.
But I also realized how unfull my days are without my family around.
We’re always scrambling to get work done, make time for ourselves, get dinner on the table, have meaningful time with our spouses and children, and soldier through all the logistics of life that can be simply satisfying or so annoying.
Take some of those pieces out and the days are, well, not that full. At first, it’s great. I can read uninterrupted! I can go play golf when we’d normally be having dinner! Speaking of meals, I can take myself to whatever restaurant I feel like!
After a day or so, I longed for the chaos of my regular life. I talked to my kids and wife multiple times a day. But that’s not the same.
It’s actually the reverse of regular life. In regular life, I have to steal some moments in a day for myself. In away life, I have to steal some moments of family time from afar. It’s not satisfying.
What is satisfying is all the chaos that I sometimes complain about. I can’t wait to get back to it. I want to hear my kids laugh and bicker and then hide away for a moment with my wife to chat. I can’t wait!
