Ten on Tuesday: All By Myself Edition

This week Carole invited everyone to list Ten Favorite Things to Do When You’re Alone. While I was rarely alone as a child, as an adult, I’ve spent quite a lot of time alone. I don’t mind it one bit. There’s a freedom to being alone, a sense of opportunity…yet I savor the wonderful feeling when Neal comes home, and I’m alone no more!

1. Read. As the youngest of five kids, I learned to sink into a book no matter what racket occurred around me. But, oh, the luxury of reading alone on the (nearly finished) porch, which is just what I did on Saturday while Neal was at the races with his buds. (Neil Gaiman’s Ocean at the End of the Lane, in case you need a good book. Perfect for reading in one lovely, long sitting.)

2. Eat foods no one else likes. Since I’m a vegetarian and Neal is not, we don’t always eat the same meals. Often, my dinner is a side dish for him. There are some meals I enjoy that he finds icky (egg noodles smothered in sauteed onions and cottage cheese, I’m looking at you) (don’t judge; it was a cheap, filling meal I ate often as a graduate student). Since he respects my absolute abhorrence of the lingering smell of fish cooked inside and avoids making it when I’m home, I spare him the noodly mess he dislikes.

3. Read at the table while I eat. We both read at breakfast on the weekend. Ever since I was a kid, I would eat at every meal if I could. When I’m alone, I do!

4. Clean. In particular, wash floors. I enjoy cleaning (when I’m not burdened by a stack of papers that need to be read), and I prefer to do it alone. And then bask in a sparkling house before anyone comes back inside and, well, lives in it.

5. Write. I can write when I’m not alone, but I prefer solitude so I can sink into the world of my novel or test out lines of poetry out loud without embarrassment.

6. Listen to a story. My neighbor blog-free Kim stopped by a few weeks ago, and we chatted about our current reads. She mentioned her excitement at downloading books from the library. I’ve downloaded library books, including audio books, before, but I had not done so in a while. I visited my library’s website, saw that they offer audio books through OneClick, and that it is easy to search for books via OneClick! I realized that the poor search features of a few years ago had made me resist getting e-books and audio books from the library. I’ve listened to Joyce Carol Oates’s Wild Nights! ,and I’m in the middle of Geraldine Brooks’s People of the Book, which I am loving. When I’m alone, cooking or weeding or stitching, it’s so nice to enjoy a good story.

7. Read French magazines. I want to improve my French vocabulary. I bought a few magazines and novels (I’m not ready for those just yet) while I visited Sara. I find it hard to concentrate on reading them if I’m not alone. I can’t read for long (reading and thinking in another language when my skill level is so poor is a challenge! It makes my brain hurt! But I persist.), but I find it satisfying when I can feel confident that I have understood an entire page.

8. Paint. I don’t mind doing this around others. I’m just sort of smitten with watercolors right now, so if I’m alone with nothing else slated for my time, well, out come the paints!

9. Craft. See above. I’m happy crafting with others, but I’m just as happy crafting alone if I have a good story to keep me company.

10. Write letters. I find it challenging to write a letter if there’s too much action around. I can manage it, but it’s more fun to see what the quiet sparks in my imagination.

What are your favorite things to do when you’re alone? If letting your imagination spark is one of them, I hope you’ll join our friendly caravan on the writers #roadtrip!