Sunsets have become me time recently. I know it may sound strange that I need designated “me time” while I’m isolated at home all day, everyday with my husband, but I’ve found that carving out this time specifically to do something relaxing for myself has been the energizing activity I needed to keep me feeling grounded.
It’s been a weird year. I’m loving the work from home flexibility and having the time to focus on what I want. I don’t want to squander away all the opportunity this time affords me. At the same time, having all these goals for myself creates a pressure to learn, create and achieve whilst living through this traumatic event. Some days I just want to lay in a blanket burrito on the couch and do nothing, but I still expect myself to work out, film, read, write, meditate. It’s a lot to expect of one’s self.
I’ve been embracing sunset as my unwind time. Austin is usually playing video games or listening to his records by that point in the day so this time is mostly uninterrupted. The sun is safely tucked behind my neighbor’s trees so I can enjoy the outdoors without layering on sunscreen. We live on semi-busy road but the traffic has usually died down at this point in the evening so I can hear the birds, the breeze, the squirrels chasing one another. For me this is the calmest time of the day. There are no more to-dos, meetings, or chores to cross of my list, or if there are, they can wait for tomorrow. Sunset is for me, sunset is my quite time.
Some days I read a chapter in whatever book I’m reading (currently Why Good People Do Bad Things by Debbie Ford). Some days I’ll do a meditation in the calm app. Sometimes I watch a few YouTube videos. And other days I just sit and watch the trees blow in the breeze with a glass of wine in hand.
I understand not everyone is in the advantageous situation we’re in – childless, healthy, and able to work from home. I know my quiet time is a treasure some people just can’t afford. Having this time makes me grateful, for my home, my job, my lifestyle, my partner, and everything I’ve been able to do in this life thus far.
