So Much Time, So Little To Do...

How is it possible that it is only 5:24 pm and I am able to sit and relax and blog while the sun still shines dappled light between autumn leaves in my front yard and I still feel mentally alert? How is it possible that I was able to leave work the minute it is supposed to end, drive to a salon and sit in a massage chair catching up on reading, happily waiting 30 minutes until they could squeeze me in for a pedicure?  How is it possible that after that I still had time to buy a few groceries I needed and check out a bakery I've been wanting to check out and buy some treats for myself? And that I know that after blogging, I will still be able to check my email, do some laundry, pay the bill, read some more, and finish a rental movie I started last night before I hit the sack?  

Yes, you guessed it.  They are out of town.  

I have the house and my brain to myself for the next 8 days.  It's amazing to me how just knowing that fact alters my psyche, and outlook, so much.  

Driving away from work, I remember thinking "I've got 7 or 8 hours until I need to go to bed. Wow.  What all can I do?" Usually, I'm thinking "Ugh, I've got to rush around to do errands, pick him up, get home, deal with snack/mood, make dinner for everyone, eat, do the bed/bath routine thing, and maybe I'll get 30-60 minutes to myself after that before bed, but that might get sucked up by domestic business or I'll be too tired to enjoy it or make productive use of it. Let me just survive tonight and every other night and make it to the weekend".  

Now I've gotta figure out how to more often find a happy medium between these two extremes when they get back.  How do you do it?