Local Destination: The Guest Room

I have booked a room for an overnight stay in a nearby establishment.  The establishment is so nearby that if I leave my house at all, I will have gone too far.  The place I am looking forward to staying with great anticipation is in the comfort of my own guest room.  With the much appreciated assistance of my husband, I am planning an evening spent alone (most likely reading, but possibly watching a movie), followed by a night of uninterrupted sleep, and topped off by a morning of getting ready at my leisure and breakfast at some local eatery (probably Panera, but I may play the local tourist and try something new on my own).

 

 

I actually find myself utilizing my guest room from time to time as a place to relax when the rest of the house seems to be in chaos.  I often found myself there in the month after my daughter was born just taking a half an hour or so to recharge.  We never use the guest room, so it doesn't have any of the personal touches (sometimes feeling like personal baggage) that the rest of the house has.  Because of this, it is the one place in the house where I feel I can go to really get away without ever having to leave.

 

With this mindset, I have decided to take full advantage of the "getting away feeling" that the room has to offer by becoming a guest in my own house.  I have spent a lot of time trying to make the room as inviting and relaxing as possible for the people who visit me, so why shouldn't I reap some of the rewards of my labors?  (And as a sidenote, if you absolutely hate the thought of spending the night where you have guests sleep, maybe you should rethink your guest area - for the sake of your poor guests!)

 

Taking a break from my normal life with this overnight stay is enhanced even more by the fact that we also have a guest bathroom next to the guest bedroom.  Eventually this will become the children's bathroom more so than our guests' bathroom, but for now it is a rarely used portion of the house as well.  Having this available to me will help to continue the "away" experience that I am looking to create.

 

If you have a guest room, take the time to use it for your own enjoyment every now and then.  Play guest in your own house and tourist in your own town and take a break from your regular life.  You might need to schedule way in advance (my own evening "away" isn't for a few weeks), but the anticipation will only make it that much better when it comes.  Stick to your Daily Vacation mindset and use what you already have to make your life one to be enjoyed.