Anonymous wrote:As much as I love your story, OP, how did you waltz into all the nice restaurants and, more so, the cooking school without booking well beforehand? Just finding a place to stay would have wasted one of the days right off the bat.

A four-day cooking school.

My husband would FREAK if Idid this. Would think I was running off with another man..

Anonymous wrote:As much as I love your story, OP, how did you waltz into all the nice restaurants and, more so, the cooking school without booking well beforehand? Just finding a place to stay would have wasted one of the days right off the bat.

all credit goes to teh amazing concierge at the Ritz, he made it all happen! Plus getting a spot for one is a lot easier than say a table for four,etc...there are many cooking schools, I told him any one of them was fine. Turns out I got lucky and go into one on the best (last minute cancellation) when the stars are aligned it all works out.

1. Accepted a contract to move to a developing country, in a city is a hotbed of terrorist activity and crime. An American woman who had been there a few years before had been shot in the face by local extremists as she was leaving (driven in a car, not even on foot) the same compound where I lived. That was a wild few years.

2. Toured Chernobyl.

3. Served contracts in several other "hardship" locations (those weren't as dangerous as #1, but certainly had their challenges. I once had a cleaner/maid whose husband died in a local cholera outbreak).

Anonymous wrote:As much as I love your story, OP, how did you waltz into all the nice restaurants and, more so, the cooking school without booking well beforehand? Just finding a place to stay would have wasted one of the days right off the bat.

This. Smelled a fiction writer immediately.

As much as I love your story, OP, how did you waltz into all the nice restaurants and, more so, the cooking school without booking well beforehand? Just finding a place to stay would have wasted one of the days right off the bat.

Along the same lines as OP but not as awesome - a couple years ago on the Friday before Mother’s Day, I could tell H had nothing planned and I would get nothing. He’d basically been completely checked out of family life and marriage life for a long time so I just packed my stuff up and left for a long weekend.

Didn’t give an explanation or anything, I just left and blocked his number. I stayed at a boutique hotel that was lovely and took a screenwriting course over the weekend. Went to nearby restaurants and had a fabulous time.

Shortly after I ended up taking a job with travel a few times a year. I felt horribly guilty before that trip, like it wasn’t fair to my H for me to travel for work, but that trip made me realize I need to put myself first because lord knows nobody else will.

Pre-marriage craziest thing was going to a developing/third world country with a man I just met when I was 25. We met, decided to go there the next day, booked the trip. It was an island in the middle of nowhere, very stupid decision on my end.

We did not get along at all and ended up in separate rooms by the end of the trip. Once in awhile he reaches out to say hi, which is kind of weird to me.

Anonymous wrote:Doing some insanely expensive thing last minute to me isn't crazy, it is just being rich or having a rich husband. When you don't have a job or need to get time off, and you can spend without thinking about money, you can take off and do as you want anytime.

Umm . . . aren't these the same things? Mine is his and his is mine. It's called marriage.

Psychedelic mushrooms. DH and I started in our early 50s, and it's been fantastic on every level.

We tend to opt for full trips, not microdosing, a few times a year. Usually when we're away together for a quiet weekend. Highly recommend!

Doing some insanely expensive thing last minute to me isn't crazy, it is just being rich or having a rich husband. When you don't have a job or need to get time off, and you can spend without thinking about money, you can take off and do as you want anytime.

I've done two solo trips since having kids, and both have been great.

The first was a four day trip to the beach after it became clear I was the only one in the family who was excited about it. (The kids were pre-teens and had other things they're prefer to do that week. DH could take it or leave it, so he was happy to stay with the kids while I peaced out.)

I had the BEST time. My drive there happened to be on the day Taylor Swift released Lover, so I cranked it up high and ended up listening to it multiple times in a row, followed by her previous albums - singing at the top of my lungs as I drove. Perfection.

Second was a four day winter getaway to an AirBnB at the lake. Just to enjoy the peace and quiet of having my own space and doing what I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it, without having to consult with or consider anyone else's needs but my own. I slept late, read a few books, journaled my little heart out, had long phone calls with multiple out of town friends, and enjoyed watching the water.

Both times I came back home relaxed, refreshed, and ridiculously grateful to my wonderful DH for understanding and valuing my need to "do my thing" solo sometimes.

Anonymous wrote:Now I’m jealous!

My best friend does stuff like this all the time. She has lived on and off communes (currently lives on one). Got upset at her kids school, took them out that day, and now homeschools all 5 (she does have a PhD). Quite a few times she sold or donated everything she owned and then they packed up the car and moved away. In high school she would donate all her clothes every season. She had really great clothes, but only like 10 pieces. She’s basically a nomad. Her and I backpacked Europe one summer, zero plans, and we slept under bridges. It was epic.

How are her kids? How often does she shake up their lives like this? It seems like a truly awful way to grow up, IMHO. Unstable and governed by the unpredictable moods and whims of their parent.

Now I’m jealous!

My best friend does stuff like this all the time. She has lived on and off communes (currently lives on one). Got upset at her kids school, took them out that day, and now homeschools all 5 (she does have a PhD). Quite a few times she sold or donated everything she owned and then they packed up the car and moved away. In high school she would donate all her clothes every season. She had really great clothes, but only like 10 pieces. She’s basically a nomad. Her and I backpacked Europe one summer, zero plans, and we slept under bridges. It was epic.

Pales in comparison to OP’s story but I quit my job very abruptly over the phone in the middle of my new boss’s tirade.

I had been thinking about leaving, had sent my resume out and even had one in-person interview but I shocked myself when the words, “I quit” interrupted the one-sided conversation. My boss paused long enough to tell me that I was making an unwise decision and instead, demanded we meet the following day at 8 a.m. to “discuss all of this.” To this, I simply said, “I won’t be there because as I said, I’m quitting. Effective right now.”

Hung up and adrenaline got me - I was shaking but oddly relieved. Called my HR contact to ask about next steps which was to submit a letter of resignation noting “effective immediately.” Boom. Done.

Spent two weeks figuring out next steps and then got an offer for a dream job-
Something I’d applied for months prior - more money and way better schedule than what I’d left.

Anonymous wrote:I spent four blissful days going to a cooking school I have dreamed about attending

OP tell us about this. Were the lessons in French or English? What did you learn?