My wife gave me an awfully nice gift for Father's Day this year. She took the kids out of town for a week to visit her family, leaving me all alone at home for 6 days.

The irony of this being a Father's Day gift is not lost on me. But to all the introverted dad's out there who've been working at home along with your children for the past five months, I feel you ✊

I love 'em all, but I was definitely looking forward to a lot more peace and quiet for a week!

But the funny thing is, doing nothing but what I've planned feels so bloody weird. I get up and plan my day, and there's no one to alter the agenda. There are no unknown priorities that pop up, no extra messes to clean, and no conflicts to sort out. 1–2 days of that and I start to wig out a little.

As the days pass, I recognize how it's good for me to have other people's needs to consider. Thinking only of myself is not.

I did my best to enjoy the full 6 day break. To rest a little. But I also did a lot of household tasks that I normally wouldn't. It was a bit of service I could give to my family (and to be honest, future me as well).

Pre-stain

The best part was getting a chance to build a pergola for my wife as an anniversary gift. And I felt pretty refreshed from the break!