Tea, sunshine, and time with friends are all mental health boosters. Seek out these small pleasures, single parents. This post is for those of us who end up with long stretches of alone time, due to split custody arrangements.
When the kids leave, yes, it’s your time to catch up on anything, everything, or nothing at all. But it can also feel lonely and too quiet when the loves of your life walk out the door.
As a single parent, it’s important to spend your alone time, well, not too alone…especially when the weather’s fabulous! It’s easy to get bogged down with single parent problems. Lighten your mood and watch your problems not seem as beastly when you put your body in motion, step away from your home appliances, and connect with others.
That brings me to the tea, sunshine, and friends part!
I’ve mentioned my friend, Kat before. She’s a true, dear friend, who could be a distant cousin of Martha Stewart. With my boys out the other day, a load of laundry drying, and a load of dishes washing, I finally made my escape into the sunshine and over to Kat’s house on foot. Her neighbor, also a friend of mine, Lola, popped over, too, right after I arrived. Love that my 8 min walk to Kat’s includes at least two inclines that take me back to my treadmill days!
My green tea was served in an object of art. Sugar, lemon, and cream were elegantly presented. Finger foods temped us. All of this lovliness magically appeared without Kat even knowing that two of her friends were magically appearing!
Lola, who is searching for a job, vented about her day. Kat, another three boy mom, was having a typical day of fun, chaos, boy feeding, and housework. I, the single mom, vented about my entire life! What are friends for? We all laughed as we picked at zero point blueberries, avoided the delicious looking cookies, and admired the gorgeous princess slinking around…
Kat, a nurturer of the soul and body, sent Lola and me away with goody bags filled with home grown prizes from her in-laws garden. A bag of zero points is why this Weight Watchers newbie was excited about this thoughtful gift of health.
Single parents, out you go. There will be plenty of rainy and cold weather in the days and months ahead to hunker down with a book, binge watch The Crown, or paint your bathroom. Embrace the summer weather while it’s here. And remember- my very own studies have shown that tea, sunshine, and friends are all good for you!
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