Adam and I are engaged in a small, unspoken, yet undeniable battle.
Adam works from home (and travels).
I homeschool the girls (and run them to their various activities).
We are both home a lot, yet also both leave a lot. Our leaving time, though, isn't exactly "wow! I'm out of the house and FREE" time. I have both kids with me, which means cluttered backseat and bickering and lots of driving and dropping and picking back up. I'm not escaping for friend time or to the spa. Adam may get to travel, but it usually means airplanes, and office buildings and hotels in different zip codes, not vacations or relaxation.
So both of us cherish those little moments. And for some reasons, one of those little moments is...
...getting the mail.
Both of us love getting the mail. Rain, shine, cold, warm. We have a long driveway, so you get a nice walk in, you're alone, and it's a nice chance to just breathe.
Mind you, the mail itself isn't all that interesting. Usually 90% of it is worthy of an immediate dump in the recycling (if you're me, that is. Adam usually puts it on the counter, even when it's obvious trash). The most interesting thing I read recently was our new car insurance policy.
Yet both of us LOVE being the one to go get it. And we both get super annoyed when we realize we've been beaten to the punch and have no excuse. I think we've both been guilty of feigning ignorance just to get the walk in.
"Oh, I didn't see that pile! Oh well!" or "I didn't hear you say you'd gone! No big deal, it was a good walk".
Perhaps we should schedule it together, like a brief date, every day.
Or we'll just keep up this small battle. Little things, little victories.