Yesterday I hired a babysitter. Actually it was an an Artist Sitter™ from Sitters Studio. The reason that I hired a babysitter is that I had it in my calendar that was going to a yoga workshop with my friend from elementary school, Nick Atlas.
I rushed out the door and left the kids with Laura. I texted Nick that I was on my way. He replied:
“Uh, you know that the workshop is tomorrow right?”
I paused for a second, looked at the empty N train track and realized that I had totally fucked up.
What was I going to do? Laura was already watching the kids, and it was too late to cancel. So I called around to a few of my friends to see if they could hang out.
Everyone I called was either with their kids or asleep. My single friends’ phones went to voicemail.
I was freezing, and I didn’t want to go home, so I went to Target and bought a sweater.
What the hell am I going to do with myself for four hours? I thought
I called my best friend Mint.
“I want to go to the movies,” I sort of whined “But nobody can hang out. I don’t really want to go by myself.”
“Oh I love going to the movies by myself!” She gushed “It’s the best. You should do it.”
I hung up with her, because she was on her way to brunch, and I decided that I would go to the movies. So I put on my headphones, grabbed an iced coffee and a muffin and went off to the movies.
I was concerned that the people at The Pavilion Movie Theater wouldn’t allow me to take my iced coffee with me. So I hid it in my purse.
P.S. I’m not pregnant.
I saw the Maggie Gyllenhaal movie “Won’t Back Down.” It was great to go to the movies alone. I actually loved it. There was a particularly emotional scene in the film, and I was actually glad I was there alone, because I was able to cry freely.
I had a great day by myself, to my surprise. It was a happy accident that I hired a babysitter for no reason at all!