Seems like whoever I run into nowadays is very curious about my newly acquired free time.

During the day I now have 6 hours free, five days a week to do what I want.

In the past two weeks, most days have fallen into a pattern.

After the crazy morning rush, I come home, drink a coffee and read some of my New Yorker Magazine. It was one of the things I had to give up when we had kids. There simply was no time to read for pleasure. Right before school started, I happily renewed my subscription.

Then, I’m off for a run. Last year my friend Jennie sent me my first podcast. It was a life changing listen. Not only because it altered my eating habits but also it opened my eyes to the wide world of podcasts.

Jennie is a friend of mine from my college days. She is a mother of two, an occupational therapist, grows her own organic veggies, and is in the processing of publishing her first book. She has become my guru on all of these things. She is always on the lookout for ways to help Ben with his sensory processing disorder.

When she heard this podcast on the Rich Roll Show, interviewing Rhonda Patrick, LONGEVITY, EPIGENETICS, MICROBIOME HEALTH & THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EATING FOR LONG-TERM WELLNESS VERSUS PERFORMANCE, she thought of me. You can read all about Rhonda Patrick on her website, Found My Fitness.

I think I’ve sent this podcast to about 12 people. It’s really worth a listen.

Then, once I figured out how podcasting worked, I started listening to them every time I ran. So far, these are my top 5 podcasts:

1. Radiolab. They describe themselves as, “A show about curiosity. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience.”
2. This American Life. On their ‘about us’ page they seem to have trouble deciding what they are about. But it’s interesting and entertaining journalism, which is proven by the fact that they are the most popular podcast in the country.
3. Serial. An American Life spin off, there are two seasons of Serial. This first one, on Adnan Syed, a man accused of murder, goes through the evidence to see if he is innocent or guilty. The second is about Bowe Bergdahl, the soldier held captive by the Taliban for 5 years.
4. S-Town. A spin off of Serial about the life of John B. McLemore.
5. Rough Translation. It’s about how the issues we talk about in America are talked about abroad.

After this, I shower up, and head out for a nice lunch. I’m trying to eat my way across the globe, without leaving the city of Chicago. Don’t worry, that blog is coming soon.

Finally I have an hour or two which I have so far spent mostly running errands, at the grocery store, the hair salon, at the kids school volunteering.

My house is still a mess, but every time I open a cabinet and everything falls out on top of me I take a deep breath and remind myself I can do it when winter comes. As Adam says, “What’s the rush? You have 10 years to organize this stuff.”

It may take me that long.