Sick Day

I took a "sick day" today, although I'm not sure it qualifies as a "sick day" when I didn't have anything on the schedule anyway... at least not until this evening.

That sounds even more pathetic now that I think about it, given the fact that it is Friday.

I use to look forward to Friday evenings. That was the night my friends and I would all go out to dinner together after work, and then hit our local (brace yourself now) "Wal-Mart". (Did you really think I might say local "bar"??)

During the last few years Friday's haven't been quite as exciting as they were even less than a decade ago. Now days Friday evenings normally consist of driving the boy to the movies and dropping him off, then either waiting on him by hanging out at the outlet mall for two hours (which ultimately ends up costing me more money than I have to spend) or driving back home and twiddling my thumbs for an hour and a half before turning around and going back to retrieve my son.

Yes, it's true. My fourteen year old offspring has a more exciting life than I. That's just wrong!

For once, Adam didn't have plans for his Friday evening this week and I did! Our church is holding it's annual "girls night out" tonight ... pizza, popcorn and chick flicks at the church. I was really looking forward to it. Just me and 300 of my closest girl-friends hanging out for a few hours. What fun! No men, no kids, no curfew! (Well, technically the evening is scheduled to end at 10:00 p.m. but I could stop somewhere else on my way home if I wanted to!)

When I woke up with a severe headache this morning, it never occurred to me that I would actually be missing my "girls night out" because of it. Silly me! I believed I could sleep it off and go about my merry way. With a little luck, the extra couple hours of rest would enable me to actually stay awake until the movie ended.

By around 4:00 this afternoon I was beginning to accept the sad reality. Tonight was going to be like most other Friday nights, minus the trip to the theater to drop my son off.

No, even worse. It was going to be a regular Friday evening, minus the trip to the theater PLUS a horrible, sickening headache!

And so I accepted my fate, called the girl who was planning to ride with me to the event and canceled, then snuggled down under my blanket on the family room sofa. I figure by now, the girls down at the church have polished off the pizza and are lining up for popcorn and a soft drink, giggling as they find seats in the auditorium and wait for the movie to start rolling.

I, on the other hand, am sitting here with the t.v. blaring and the boy fussing away because we have no white bread in the house and he is starving! Mr. Taylor changed into his pajamas and retreated to the media room nearly an hour ago. Our three cats and one dog have all nestled in nearby enjoying the heat of the fireplace.

What has my life come to? A trip to "Wal-Mart" is sounding pretty exciting to me right now.

Or at least it would be if I felt halfway like getting dressed and driving all the way there ... which of course I don't, since that is the reason I am home tonight in the first place!

I do hope my 300 closest friends are having fun.

I'm also hoping they're missing me half as much as I'm missing all of them right now. I know, I know ... fat chance that that's really happening, but it's Friday night after all. I figure I at least deserve to dream a little!