Ten Perks From Being Housebound

I got the idea for this post from Toni Bernhard's piece in Psychology Today

Top Ten Reasons I Don't Mind Being Housebound

I changed the title a bit because I DO mind being housebound and would love it if I weren't.  Anyway, onto some light hearted fare....

1. Only loosely bound to a schedule.  The only time I need to pay attention to a clock is for dinner prep or doctors appointments.  Otherwise I can completely ignore it.  I no longer need to wear a watch.
2. I can sleep whenever I want and don't have to stress over insomnia or an irregular sleeping schedule.  When I first got sick I was constantly nodding off wherever I happened to be sitting so I started calling it free range sleeping.  Now that I've been sick for six years I've settled into a more consistent sleeping pattern.  Since I'm on disability and can't work, I don't have to force myself to sleep on a regular schedule.  A few docs' have suggested I take sleep meds but I figure why?  I don't need to be up in the morning so why stress over it.   I go to bed when I'm tired no matter what time of day it happens to be and sleep for as long as I need to.
3. Binge watching entire TV shows.  I think the longest binge was the original Stargate series.  Nine seasons at 22-24 48min episodes per season.  It took me over a month to get through it.  I am a bit bummed that the current practice is down to 13 episodes at 41mins a piece.  Now it only takes a couple of days to get through one season.  Sigh....
4. I no longer have a boss to answer to.  No more uncomfortable performance reviews where they tell me I'm doing a great job but they can't give me a pay raise because _____.  No more office politics.  No more misogynistic coworkers. 
5. No more commute to/from work.  OMG this one was getting horrendous by the time I got sick.  A 15 mile drive that used to take me about 20mins was up to 45mins on a good day and 3+ hours on a bad day.  
6. I can go outside into my yard almost whenever I want (I do have the occasional day where this is out of the question).  Working in a government lab meant that around the winter solstice I literally never saw daylight.  I went to work in the dark, worked in a lab without windows and drove home in the dark.  Now I can open shades, open windows, or even walk onto my deck whenever I want.  It might be freezing outside but I can stare at the trees whenever I want and breath fresh air whenever I want.  During the warm weather I can sit outside for hours.
7. I get to have cats around me ALL. THE. TIME.  Woohoo!
8. I get to drink lattes almost everyday.  My son and I go out for coffee most days.  We get to chat a bit and have great coffee together.  We search out little coffee shops together.  This was a tradition that me and my mom started decades ago.  We used to go to Dunkin Donuts for a coffee and donut together once or twice a week.  I'm so glad that I get to do it with my son now.
9. I can wear my pjs all day if I want to.  Or I can wear the same clothes for multiple days in a row.  And, I don't have to wear coordinated outfits.  I can wear sweats or yoga pants or leggings or tee shirts.  And I don't have to wear a bra!!!!
10. Lots and lots of pillows!  This is the one perk that I share with Toni.  I have a big pile of pillows on the couch and another pile in my bed.