The Best Thing about NOT Having a Job

Despite some of the stress that has creeped in here and there, taking a little hiatus from the rat race does have its perks.

1. It allows you to tackle big household projects that you would just never do while working full time. Just this week I cleaned and almost completely emptied one of our closets, making room for a new set of drawers and a much more organized setup. In the process, 5 bags of clothes went to Goodwill.

I also was able to clean out an entire bookshelf, relocating some, donating others, until I had the perfect shelf for my kitchen.

Instead of being hidden away, my cookbooks, recipes, and some beautiful pieces of glass and handmade doilies from my nana now have a prominent place.

2. Speaking of cookbooks, being home more often definitely gives you more time to cook. Up this week? Shitake polenta, lentil pumpkin burgers, slow-cooker pulled pork tacos, and a few other fun things.

3. You can work out whenever you want. Unless you have lingering pneumonia symptoms that pop up as soon as you try to break a sweat. Friday’s run was a major fail and reminded me how long this dastardly illness is lasting, even if my major symptoms are gone. Still, I got to the Copley Farmer’s Market in record time and got to cool down while enjoying the bounty of local fall produce like mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, shallots, and herbs from Siena Farms and pillowy, fresh pita bread from Sofra.

4. When you spend the whole week at home, you can get everything done, cleaning, laundry, food prep, so that when the weekend rolls around you can actually spend quality time with your loved ones. Photos are from Jamaica Pond yesterday, a gorgeous November afternoon.

5. There’s more time to volunteer. I love getting to walk the dogs and play with the cats at the MSPCA which happens to be FULL of homeless pets right now. It is easily the highlight of my week.

6. Weekend brunch feels more relaxed. Post-Jamaica Pond walk, we had an amazing brunch at the Aquitaine in Chestnut Hill. I forgot to take a pre-brunch photo, and this was all that was left of my Eggs Benedict Provencal. Most definitely one of the best brunches in the Boston area.

7. You have more time to go to great wine tasting events like the La Spinetta winemaker tasting at The Urban Grape. Not only did we taste through a lineup of delicious La Spinetta wines, but they were poured by Giorgio Rivettim the winemaker. And he signed our bottle of Moscato d’Asti, a clean, light, bubbly white that he referred to as breakfast wine.

I won’t get too used to it as I hope to have some fun projects to work on soon, but it certainly has been fun for the most part!

Today I have brunch at East Coast Grill with the Boston Brunchers, a visit to family, and hopefully some sort of light workout. What are you up to this lovely Sunday?