That giant sigh of relief you may have heard this morning was my husband and me waking up to an empty home. After a week and a half of houseguests (first from his side of the family, then mine), we can now return to what is familiar and comfortable. We enjoyed having visitors, but we also love our day-to-day (some might describe them as boring) routines. Ahhhhhh.
I’ve spent my morning blissfully doing laundry, cleaning the guest bathroom, remaking the guest bed, straightening up and cleaning the kitchen and living room, and going through piles of neglected mail. These types of chores are not usually the highlights of my day but, today, I’m in my happy place.
I may venture out in the next few days (we will start to run out of leftovers eventually) but, for now, I am content to nestle in my calm, quiet, and stress-free nest.
I am grateful for our guests. They were enthusiastic, engaging, and having them encouraged us to be creative in coming up with things to do in our city. It was fun. Now that they are gone, I’m so grateful to be able to completely relax and enjoy our own company. As my husband and I settle back into our comfortable routines, I am reminded of how much I love my home, sweet, home.
Retirementally Challenged 
I like the peace and quiet too, and the opportunity to watch the autumn begin.
This is my favorite time of year… it’s still summer here, but the kids are back in school and most of the tourists are gone. It’s a great time to relax.
Back-to-back guests are hard, and I personally think adding family to that makes it harder. You both deserve a reward later today, hopefully a liquid one. 🙂 – Marty
We are planning a nice, quiet dinner alone tonight… I’m sure there will be something liquid on the menu.
Aaahh in deed. Peace be with you.
It’s nice… right? Love having guests… love saying good-bye for now.
Indeed. Two younger kids ventured back to college this weekend, so we are empty nesters for the semester. It is nice for a change, although we do miss them.
There really is ‘no place like home’, and nothing like ‘free time’ and ‘regular routines’.
BTW – Your guest bed does look very comfy!☺️
Are you home yet? If not, I bet that you are looking forward to enjoying getting back to your routines too.
Hi, Janis – We took a side trip to Portugal . We figured if we were this close it would be a shame to miss it!
Yes! I’m glad to hear that.
Hi Janis,
I can so clearly hear and feel the relief in your writing voice. Maybe that’s partly because I can so readily identify with your experience. I love cleaning and organizing at any time, but most particularly when I am reclaiming my home after guests or after a big project. There’s just something about outer calm and order that instantly provides inner calm and order too. Enjoy your happy place.
“Reclaiming” is the perfect word for it! I have a habit of putting stuff in my office to get it out of the way… now I’m going through everything so I can reclaim my office all for myself.
I agree! We had a guest last week too (John’s sister) and while it was lovely to see her it was also nice to sink back into our own routines afterwards and not have to worry about entertaining anyone.
Yep, it’s nice not to have to be “on” all the time (even when guests don’t expect it, it’s hard not to be “on” at least a little bit).
Yes, it’s hard not to worry whether they’re REALLY having a good time!
I so agree with you, we LOVE being home. We love our guests too, but there is something soothing about cleaning up and getting on with the routine of every day living!
Yes, it’s wonderful, right?
Absolutely identify with this…we don’t have kids, so my husband and I are used to our own company. We love our nieces and nephews especially, but we also love the calm after the storm.
We don’t have kids either, maybe that’s why we are so unused to a lot of commotion in our house. Love it in small doses, but now I’m happy only hearing the sound of my husband in the other room.
I know what you mean. I love having company, but it can be exhausting.
Small doses is the key.
While it is not my favorite thing, there is something positive in the cleaning & organizing. Also I get a sense of coming home with restoration of your own space. While you haven’t physically travelled when guests are there, it is an emotional trip. There is just something about a space of your own that is home.
No one would ever accuse me of being fastidious, but I love getting our house back to the way we like it. Mostly neat, but with just the right amount of clutter. 🙂
I completely understand. The grandkids were here yesterday afternoon. My nerve endings are still jangling – in a “that was fun but I’m glad we’re back to peace and quiet” kind of way, but they are jangling.
We don’t have grandkids, but I really understand the jangled nerve endings. Fortunately, our guests were well-behaved (as I’m sure your grandkids were 🙂 and helpful when needed.
Yes Jan, it is lovely having company and also equally or even more so your own company. We are both very self-contained people and most probably do spend too much time just the two of us. We are happy, and that is what counts, isn’t it!
Suz
Being happy is definitely what counts! It’s good to include others now and then, but we do like to hang out with each other (which, I think, is a good thing).
We have the philosophy why get married if you don’t want to spend most of your time together. We didn’t meet until we were 40. Making up for lost time! Still enjoy other people’s company that’s for sure!
Suz
Janis, it’s funny how comfortable we become in our day to day routines, isn’t it? As much as I love to have company or set out on an adventure of some sort, I always look forward to returning home & falling into to our day to day routine.
I guess the important thing is to enjoy where you are and what you are doing… whether traveling, entertaining guests, or finding comfort in day-to-day routines.
I know this feeling well. We get our guests in the fall. I look forward to seeing them and then seeing them leave (and I’m sure they feel the same way). There is a please in the doing the mundane tasks afterward. Maybe it’s a return to a comforting routine but I love it too.
So, it sounds like you’ll be busy soon entertaining guests. Enjoy their company, then enjoy getting your house back afterwards. It’s all good… right?
It’s the step daughters and granddaughters. It will be fun and they are not staying long. Just enough for some fun.
Sounds like you’ll have a great time.
Well put…without making your visitors feel ‘bad’. Quite the talent, that!
Enjoy your simple pleasures of today.
Fortunately, we had great guests who were a lot of fun… and each group was so different.
I am a “moon child” (born June 28th) so no need to convince me about the merits of home life. I’m a big believer in the “3-day rule” whether hosting or being the visitor.
I think the three-day rule has a lot merit, but it really depends on how much energy the type of guest requires. Some require almost constant attention, while others just go with the flow.
I call it a recharging period 🙂 I get that feeling even after a few busy days without guests!! As you said, even the mundanes like laundry and tidying the house feel good 🙂
I’m the same way after extra-busy days too. In fact, now that I’m retired, I hate to schedule more than one or two obligations a week… a week with nothing on my calendar is heaven.
I remember a cousin telling me the same thing when she retired. Now I too understand.
I feel the same way when friends and family come to stay! I look forward to having them, but there is also a part of me that appreciates it when they leave and I can return to my normal routines.
We are creatures of habit, right? I know when my habits (or routines) get put on hold for guests – even as wonderful as they can be – I feel a certain rightness about being able to resume them when the visitors go home. (I’m pretty sure they feel the same when they return home after visiting us and resume their routines too.)
Aaaah. What a nice and heart-felt post. The simple pleasures in life. Even though we don’t have our own home, we can fully relate to your guest experiences. We are always happy when family or friends visit us, but, those days and weeks are exhausting and it is always nice to pick up our daily routine again, according to our own schedule – just like arriving at the next house sit after an arduous road trip. Enjoy the peace and comfort of home!
Thank you, Liesbet! Isn’t it funny how we can find our “home” even when we are on the road.
I love having guests…and I love having my space back
Both guests and alone time in just the right amounts. That is the recipe for a balanced life. 😀
Oh, I sure can identify with this sentiment, Janis. Except for us, it is the other way round this time. We have just returned from three weeks of travelling to visit friends and family in several different communities. I loved seeing everyone, but it felt so good to return to our quiet house — just us, the pets, and our routines.
Jude
I know. I recently wrote about how nice it was to come home after being gone for a long time… I guess I just like to be home (until I get the itch to travel again 🙂 ).