Go Window Shopping

My To Do list runneth over.

I awoke the other day and faced the routine tasks of unloading the dishwasher, starting yet another load of laundry, folding linens and vacuuming the main floor. Then the need to sit down and pay bills, balance the checkbook and schedule various home repairs.

Additional tasks haunted me. You know, the deep cleaning stuff– declutter the drawers and closets, wash the decorative dust collectors that sit high atop the kitchen cabinets, roll out the refrigerator and face the mess that lurks behind it.

Then there was the list of errands. Pick up odds and ends at , stop for an oil change and haul a trunkful of donations to .

Most of the time, I think nothing of the myriad tasks that accompany my life as a wife and mother. But on this particular day, I balked. The sky was clear, the temperature moderate and a nice breeze blew. So I decided to play hooky. Cut class. Take a mental health day.

When is the last time you treated yourself to a day of absolutely no productivity? The older and more responsible we get, the harder it becomes to abandon those things that our families look to us to handle. But sometimes, we just need to grab the car keys and escape for a couple of hours.

Window shopping is my favorite thing to do when I play hooky. I don’t go clothes shopping, because nothing ever fits. And I don’t shop for my family members, because that defeats the whole point of an escape.

No, I prefer to visit the home décor boutiques of our community. Walking slowly through the rooms of these lovely shops is so relaxing. And the artful displays give me lots of decorating ideas for my own home. The shop owners and patrons are always friendly. So much so, that a visit to each store invariably ends with a long conversation with someone, in which we discover we are connected through mutual friends, once lived in the same town or frequent the same vacation spots.

Window shopping doesn’t mean you can’t buy a little something to remember your day by! You can always find a nicely scented bar of soap for your powder room, a whimsical hook to hang in your kitchen or some hand-dipped taper candles that are perfect hostess gifts. My latest find? A metal sign with a quote that captures my current lifestyle: My house was clean last week–sorry you missed it.

So head to Main Street and enjoy a leisurely afternoon. Visit Christine and Phil at Christine’s Creations. Then stop by and see Laurie at Linden. Be sure not to miss her lovely outdoor garden. I suggest you then head to Pineapple Park, where you’ll find lots of inspiration and Pacita’s gracious hospitality.

Have fun playing hooky, and be sure to tell them Dee sent you window shopping!