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The other day, I found myself in a highly unusual predicament: It was 12 p.m. on a Friday, and I was staring down the barrel of an hour of free time. <\/p>\n
On Fridays, I\u2019m with my kids (my work week is Monday through Thursday). So, I\u2019d usually be balancing eight-month-old Evelynn on my hip with my left arm, while using my right arm to race cars down the faded red slide of our play set with two-year-old Emiliano, waiting until 1 p.m. to load them into the car to go pick up five-year-old Ella from school. But on that specific day, both babies had taken an early nap. Hence, this rare, unscheduled hour of time to myself.<\/p>\n
For a second, I freaked out. Should I get ahead of my chores, so I have free time later to hang with the kids? Or maybe try to squeeze in a workout? Should I try to nap, too? Or, wait\u00a0\u2014 should I finally start reading Strangers<\/a>?<\/em><\/p>\n Then I took a deep breath and paused to assess the facts: <\/p>\n 1) I had one hour before I had to get the babies up and ready to leave. <\/p>\n 2) I did not<\/em> want to do anything with a screen.<\/p>\n 4) I did want to be outside, preferably moving. <\/p>\n 3) Whatever I did had to be easily interruptible, in case Evelynn or Emiliano woke up early.<\/p>\n This ruled out a quick workout in the yard. Over the years, I\u2019ve learned that being interrupted mid-squat makes me cranky. Trying a new baking recipe was also not in the cards. (At this stage of life, nothing feels more daunting than a sink full of dirty dishes.) Instead, I wandered into our backyard and picked up a pair of garden shears.<\/p>\n For the next 30 minutes, I fell into a soothing trance, snipping white roses off the bush and gliding the stems into a vase. By the time I heard Evelynn\u2019s soft cry through the baby monitor, I had a lush arrangement of blooms. Throughout the afternoon, as I played make-believe and refilled water bottles, I\u2019d glance over at the vase on the table. Seeing those cloud-like roses felt like a deep breath.<\/p>\n Now whenever I stumble upon moments of alone time, I head into the garden and hunt for blooming flowers. Sometimes it\u2019s just a peek around the shed, where I\u2019ll pick a few wild poppies growing in the gravel. Other days, I have time to step up on the stool to snip purple branches from our jacaranda tree. But anytime I choose to spend a few minutes by myself \u2014 touching leaves, measuring stem lengths, and playing with color combos \u2014 I end up feeling invigorated and grounded.<\/p>\n So, I\u2019m curious to hear, how do you like to spend your alone time? Do you have stretches to fill with on-going projects? Or micro-moments, where (like me) you choose activities you can pick up and drop at a moment\u2019s notice? I\u2019d love to know.<\/strong><\/p>\n P.S. A funny memoir you can easily dip in and out of<\/a>, and eight readers share their hobbies<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"White](\"https:\/\/cupofjo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Jannelle-White-Rose-Arrangement-scaled.jpg\")
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