Adam left for New York on Monday for business for over a week.

This is not an unusual occurrence for him but he is usually not gone over the weekend as well. After he packed up and left at 4:30 AM on Monday, the house fell silent. I don’t get to see Adam much during the work week but I do look forward to even a few minutes together each night to catch up. I am already missing him, though, for the upcoming weekend.

So as I try to be an optimist, I decided to focus on the positive things about Adam being gone and also make a bit of a to do list about what I can get done while he is away.

So here goes…

The Positive Things About Adam Traveling This Week (in no particular order)

1. All of the dirty laundry this week will be in the hamper – not next to the hamper
2. There will be no remote wrangling about who gets to watch what shows. I can watch Lost in peace and don’t have to make it through an episode of Psych
3. The banana peels will miraculously not appear on the kitchen counter but instead will be neatly placed in the trash bin
4. I can have long conversations multiple times a day with my large family. I do this anyway but Adam doesn’t need to be annoyed by it this week
5. Finally, I have the entire king sized bed to stretch out in

My To Do List While Adam Is Gone

This list is purposefully short since I am focusing on just the important things (our 80/20 rule)

1. Cleaning out the linen closet.

I am pretty good about going through and donating items I don’t wear from my clothes closet but have not done this for my linens for at least 2 years. This is the week it will get done.

2. Throwing out old items in my refrigerator door.

I am a refrigerator door item collector and have everything from the last drops of dressing in bottles, old crusted over condiments from last year, and even unidentifiable items that some how just made it on the shelves. This week they find a new home….the trash.

3. Filling out the census survey.

Figure I can do this in 20 minutes one night.

4. Buying all of my family and friend birthday and anniversary cards through the summer.

All this takes is the time to make a list of who to buy cards for and a bit of time to shop for the cards and then label them as to who they go to so they are ready to send out.

But (and this is IMPORTANT), I would gladly trade in all of the things in the lists above, to have Adam here instead. After almost 18 years of marriage, he is my best friend and makes me smile each and every day.