CJ took the girls to his parents this morning so I could write, and I've spent most of my day alone, in the quiet, with my computer. I've been talking for weeks now about how I was looking forward to the silence and the solitude, to all the things I'd be able to get done. And all of that has been beautiful: the ten fresh pages of writing, the afternoon nap break, the time and space to think. But it's reminded me of the many Saturdays of my single years, Saturdays spent alone grading papers and doing grad school homework, Saturdays I longed for the busy chaos of family life. It's funny how easy it is to forget the challenges of the past, how easy it is forget gratitude for the present.