How the other half lives

My last day at my job was on Friday. It was totally anti-climactic. Nose Digger was out on vacation and Whiner tried to say good-bye as she was leaving early, but I was on the phone. The good-bye never happened because a) she couldn't be bothered to wait until I got off the phone and b) I couldn't be bothered to get off the phone, especially to say good-bye to her. Everybody won.

Before we leave for Greece, I've got the next two weeks at my disposal. As any worker bee will tell you, especially where I live, this is pure, unadulterated luxury. If you could combine Godiva chocolates, Egyptian cotton sheets, and first class tickets anywhere into the concept of two weeks of free time, this would be it. That it's four weeks is the equivalent of owning your own Gulfstream jet. With a runway in your backyard, like John Travolta has.

Don't say Tony Manero never did anything for you, John

Now, I can see what it is that all those people do during the day. You know, those people. They're not wearing fanny packs, white sneakers, and holding maps of New York City in the middle of the day, because they actually live here. Yet they're not in a rush to maximize their lunch hour. They're not hurrying to meetings. They actually stroll when they walk. Whenever I hustled by them on my way to the bank at lunch, they were so alien to me. "Who are you and how do you have free time???" Well, that applies to tourists too.

"Beep, beep - take us to your leader!"

I'm making it my business to find out. C surprised me with tickets to Florida for two days in the middle of next week (yay, C!), and when he did, I immediately assumed he meant the weekend. Because when else could he possibly be talking about??? But then he gently reminded my bombed-out self that I could now go during the week. As I'm still being rehabilitated to the idea of free time, he had to break it to me gently. I could go during the week - imagine that! The shock was such that I had to do art therapy and color with crayons for an hour.

After that though, I'll be moseying around the city, trying to re-gain my collegiate perspective of it. Back to when I used to wander aimlessly, making a full day out of doing nothing, yet never get bored. I'm sure I'll be excited about that for two days and then be climbing the walls to go back to work.

But I will try! I will sit at a cafe downtown in the middle of the afternoon, without feeling like the seat will eject me right back to my desk at the office. I will read the books I reserve online at the library and have no shame, when the clerk asks me what I thought as I return them! I will go to the gym during the day, when there will no Gym Nazis ready to wrestle me off the treadmill when my 30 minutes are up! I will even go into the line at Magnolia Bakery, just for the heck of it! Because I can!!!

Um...scratch that. I might have free time now, but I haven't completely taken leave of my senses.