In addition to being an at-home dad, I have several side projects that I work on in the evenings and during my spare time. Like any parent, I have energy for kids and energy for work, and the pools are mostly exclusive of one another. I can be exhausted from kid and house care when evening rolls around, but fully charged for knocking out work. The reverse is true for working parents.

Last week, Alison came home early on her admin day and I went over to a new coffeeshop in town. Before opening last month, they pre-sold cold brew coffee out of the owner’s house. I got to know him and his wife, and we’ve continued to build on that relationship. He’s a cool guy, about my age and place in life, so it’s good to see him when he’s working.

I grabbed my coffee, sat down at a table and got to work. For just over 90 minutes, I drank my coffee, and cranked away on my projects. I was editing that day, my least favorite part of the writing process. The soundtrack from _Monument Valley_, a popular iOS game, moved me from grammatical error to grammatical error.

Normally, when Alison is home alone with the kids, I feel a tinge of guilt. This only happens because I know how hard she works, and yet, there she is, working more caring for the kids. In those moments, I need to remember the separate reservoirs of energy. While I spent almost every moment of the day alone with the kids, it’s a treat for her. She gets to have that quality time hanging out with them and I get a break.

Afternoons off, and vacations, are a nice treat. It’s never a bad thing to enjoy a change of scenery and make progress.