31

When I turned 30, I'm sure I changed overnight. The day before, when I was a youthful 29, I felt like I needed to keep on with certain ambitions. But when I woke up 30, suddenly I just wanted to be a responsible adult, and didn't mind so much if that meant staying home more or giving up a few more wants of my own.

I turned 31 last week. And I noticed something new. I feel suddenly I want to enjoy what I have. I want to be with the kids more, be with my husband more, talk with my friends and family more and be there for the people I know. I want time to read novels again and cook things out of Bon Appetit (thanks, Cherie!) and I finally want to have time to actually read the stories on economist.com, the way real adults always read the paper in the morning. We'll see how it works.

The Loitering List

There are two times when I'm happiest. (1) When I'm uber productive (like leaving the house in the morning knowing I already wiped both bathrooms, started laundry, dusted something, started dinner, had music practice, and got 3 or 4 people ready for the day). (2) When I'm uber idle, especially in an interesting place. And if the kids are there, all the better. It's such a thrill to just hear them talk about what's on their mind and make observations.

So while we drove last week Brent and I started putting together a list of our favorite places to loiter (not shop, but loiter). Here's a start:

Apple Hill

IKEA

The local doughnut shop

The Wild Chicken Coffee Shop

The High Hand Nursery

The Shops at the Fountains

Borders

Kate's school when school is not in session

McKinley Park

Golden Gate Park

Tiburon

Berkeley

Frys Electronics

A baseball game