45 Minutes

Before I met Sherri, lunch was barely a thing.

Most days I’d just eat something quick at my desk while working. Sometimes I’d skip it altogether. It wasn’t really a break, just something I did in between whatever else needed to get done.

Now, when noon hits, we stop.

We sit on the couch, turn something on, and watch an episode of whatever show we’re in the middle of.

That’s it. That’s the whole thing.

But it’s become one of my favorite parts of the day.

We’ve gone through a bunch of shows this way. Bob’s Burgers, The Sandman, The Good Place, Lucifer, Evil. Right now we’re working through House. One episode at a time, every day.

It’s not about powering through a series or keeping up with anything. It’s just the rhythm of it. One episode. A little bit of time to sit down, relax, and not think about work for a while.

Some days we pay attention to every second. Other days we’re half watching, talking about something else, or just enjoying the break. The dog usually ends up somewhere nearby, occasionally deciding this is the exact moment he needs attention.

And more often than not, we end up stopping with about ten minutes left in the episode because something comes up or we run out of time… and then we just pick it right back up from that exact spot the next day.

At this point, that’s basically part of the routine.

It’s a small thing. Just 45 minutes in the middle of the day.

But it’s something I look forward to.