Happy New Year!

We had a wonderful holiday here. Much family fun and celebration.

Skating in the street during an ice storm, exploring my childhood Lego collection, the continuation of the traditional passive-aggressive gift of 10,000 beads to the girl children in the family from their uncle, snuggling on the couch watching Home Alone and Rudolph…

Lots (and lots and lots) of time with the kids.

It is of these moments that memories are made. And I loved almost all of it.

But by this stage?

The introvert in me needs a bit of alone time. So while my husband heads back to work, I’ve taken the week off, put the kids in camp, and have FOUR DAYS TO MYSELF.

Yes, they are all gone. It’s just me. Alone.

Ahhhh.

My last post ended my “Songs for the Week” series for my dad. At New Year’s dinner on Sunday, when I mentioned my plan for the week, he suggested I do a whole other series about songs to do with solitude.

I suggested he might get his own blog.

Because there’s this neat thing called WordPress….

He declined.

But it’s a fun idea. So in the spirit of meeting half-way, here’s one more post – on his inspiration – to launch my week (okay, four days) of glorious solitude.

Let’s start with some Heart. Here’s 1987’s Alone:

My introvert ears have always heard this song differently than intended.

I know the lyrics are this:

Till now, I always got by on my own.
I never really cared until I met you.
And now it chills me to the bone.
How do I get you alone?
How do I get you alone?

What I hear?

How do I get to alone?

Currently? Apparently by booking holiday and putting the kids in camp.

They are pretty excited to see their friends. There’s a trip to Funhaven planned. My husband saves his holiday days for the summer when there’s more golf options. And I get to read.

EVERYBODY WINS.

Next, to give a nod to my Beatles’ fan of a dad for the inspiration, here’s 1963/4’s Don’t Bother Me. Wikipedia tells me it is the first song George Harrison wrote for The Beatles:

It’s about love drama, but I love his “I need to be alone to then be okay” vibe. I get that. The perfectionist in me also loves that this is “Take Ten” (original video went offline which referenced this. So perhaps this is take eleven?).

But if you yearn for a more polished PFO (please f__ off), how about Michael Jackson’s Leave Me Alone which was released in 1989.

I’m a child of the 80s, so this was the first song that popped into my head when I starting thinking on the theme.

However, if that’s not recent enough for you, I’ve spilt some ink here previously on my appreciation of Britney. Here’s Piece of Me, from 2007:

Granted, this is less “leave me alone” than an attempt (to quote one review) to “evoke the horror, the exhilaration and (finally) the boredom of [Spears’] overexamined life.”

But I have to say, I immediately loved it when I first heard it.

Another review commented that “the hypertreatment of the voice, the way it edges into the music, suggests that the price of fame is identify erasure.” I’m (clearly) not famous. I’m a career-oriented working mom of two young girls who also wants stuff for me and the things other than family that I care about. This song features on repeat in my car when I need to unwind. Because it resonates. I don’t GET superstardom. But I GET loss of identity with motherhood. And everyone in my life wanting everything from me right now. And the feeling of being judged (real, or not) when some of the balls I’m juggling fall. Or I relax for a bit and in doing so something gets missed and (unnecessary) drama ensues.

So with that said?

Let’s end with a proper homage to silence, which I feel I can truly OWN at this age and stage of my life. Because I sat through the movie. And got the cups. And the pillows. And the figurines.

And really, Poppy (that’s the Pink One), pretty much sums up my kids and how they respond to me telling them I want some alone time. I’m totally with Branch (the poor guy who is trying to sleep) in this moment.

Here’s Trolls and their take on Simon & Garfunkel’s 1964 classic The Sound of Silence:

Really, like Poppy, my kids are pretty adorable when they want to snuggle and keep me company as I’m trying to read.

Or suggest I might enjoy reading them a princess book instead.

But I’m really excited about my week alone.

After that, I will fully re-engage.

Because there’s no place I’d rather be than in my life.

Most of the time.

Hey parents! How do you carve our your time? Please share!

Baby Gates Out.