How to Have a Relaxing Weekend - Empty Nest Style
Last Saturday I hit the trifecta of the relaxation perfection. It started with a relaxing, hour long, run through our neighborhood. Just 36 hours before the ground had been covered in inches of surprise snow. But the temperatures warmed and the sun came out just in time for me to get my feet on the pavement. While I love running with my friends and this run would have been made even better with someone else along, I do enjoy the time when I can listen to my podcasts and just reflect and think and wander at will too. While I was doing that Greg was delivering the car for some minor repairs so we will be ready to make our trek to Ohio for Christmas.
After a brief lunch at home, we headed into the city for a wine tasting at Some Good Wine on E 8th Street in Greenwich Village. They do a themed monthly wine tasting which is always tasty and informative. I enjoy going, not only to refill the wine rack, but also to learn more about the different grapes, regions of the world and mature my palette (oh wow that sounds snobbier than I mean it). Trust me I still love an $8.00 bottle of wine with an animal on the label. This month the theme was wines to go with Thanksgiving dinner. Now, I am not cooking this year. I will write more about that in a future post. But Greg and I both enjoyed the large varieties of red wines we were able to taste. We managed to add a few bottles to the rack for future enjoyment. We also saw this really cute Nativity Set - note that it is set about the Israeli wines. If you are in the city, I certainly recommend Some Good Wine. They have knowledgeable staff, a large selection in all price points, and it is a very friendly atmosphere in which to shop.
Greg, the carrier of the things, took the wine home and I headed for the next stop on my relaxation adventure. I took a brief side trip into Mercer Books (a used and rare book store also in the Village) and managed to only come out having purchased three books!. But my real destination was Bliss! Bliss is a spa and I was headed for a deep tissue massage. if you know me at all, I say I am relaxed (and I really feel that I am) but my shoulders and neck are usually solid as a rock. I also have been having some soreness in my hamstrings so I decided it was time to have some work done. Thankfully, I had been given a gift card to Bliss months ago so I was able to enjoy without feeling like a splurging on myself. The gift was much appreciated because it was far too generous return for an act of kindness I did without even thinking about the fact that it might be viewed as out of the ordinary. I was just doing what needed to be done in helping take care of a friend’s dog while she was away on business. In any case, she appreciated my help and I SO appreciate her gift of massage. I enjoyed some herbal tea, flipping through an actual magazine, leaving my phone in the locker for over an hour, and then an incredible massage. I so appreciate how Neil went over our time to make sure my neck and legs were feeling perfect before he finished.
I got home with very little issue in transit in time to cook Greg and I a feast of Greek delightfulness including lamb gyros, marinated vegetables, spanikopita, olives, feta, and of course some of the wine we purchased earlier.
This truly was a perfect day of relaxation. A great combination of personal time and spending time with Greg. Not all weekends allow for this so I definitely am thankful and enjoyed every minute of it.