What Would You Do If You Had All Day?

Working from home full time for the last three years has shown me all the things that I could have done if I’d just had the time—housework notwithstanding. At the beginning of the pandemic supervisors and directors insisted that work/life balance was a thing and should be considered. “Make sure you’re taking your breaks.” They said. “Go out for a walk in your neighborhood.” They said. “Don’t work on your computer while eating lunch.” They said. So, I went out for walks between meetings. Long walks. At the park. With my good friend, Cynthia. I’d run to the grocery store. Get a haircut. Cook dinner. And yes, throw in a load of laundry.

I began to wonder. When I had to be in the office 3-5 days a week, how did I ever get anything done? After driving an hour to work before daylight, and sitting in traffic for an hour after sundown, by the time I got home, I often had to nap before I could throw together something for my dinner. If I walked for exercise, it was only on the weekend—when I also had to do laundry, go grocery shopping, cook, and maybe shake my husband’s hand in passing. My life had become an endless, mindless string of meetings, assignments, chores, and somewhere in there I ate and slept. That is no way to live.

Now that I am contemplating retirement, I am imaging how I will fill my days. People ask in wide-eyed amazement: “But what will you do if you’re not working?” Ideally, I’ll be traveling much more often. If not strolling the cobblestoned streets of Portugal, I’ll be heading to the coast of Georgia on weekends more frequently than I currently do. I’ll be writing my great American novel, and practicing yoga and meditation more diligently. I will allow myself to lounge on the sofa—a lot—and binge watch reruns of Living Single while eating popcorn. Now that the pandemic has come to a close, and bosses and their companies everywhere are conspiring, trying to think of ways to motivate workers to come back into the office—we are thinking of ways to embrace life and never go back again.

What about you? What would you do if you had all day?