Like a horse out of the gate, you no doubt hit the ground running: Get up, get out, get back home, get dinner together, get to bed, get up, and do it again. Trot, canter, gallop. Each day can feel like the Preakness, but with no blue ribbons (or break) in sight. A moment to curl up and read or take a meditative soak in a bubble bath? Ha! If only there were an extra 15 minutes, time-starved Real Simple readers would, among other things, kiss, cuddle, clean, and merely sit. Whoa, girl! Just take 15.

This Month’s Winner

S.W.A.K.
Recently my husband and I started couples counseling. We weren’t in crisis, and we weren’t angry – we were just sort of…distant. Our therapist told us to kiss more. It sounded silly, but it turned out to be the most amazing thing! Suddenly we were looking for reasons to kiss, and it reminded us how much we love each other and want to be to be together. If I had an extra 15 minutes, I’d pucker up.
Barb Cooper
Austin, Texas
Barb will receive a copy of Real Simple Celebrations.

Word Play

I would get back to reading. When I was working, I would use my commuting time on the bus or the train to read classic novels and best sellers. Now that I have three children, reading is the last thing on my list. I would love to read something other than Goodnight Moon.
Patricia Lavinio
Oradell, New Jersey

I would write thank-you letters. Not perfunctory notes, but real letters that thank people for things they’ve done that have made a difference. Some of these people have done things for me personally — a high school English teacher who changed the way I read and think about books, a friend who prayed for me during a bad patch in my marriage. I would also write to people I don’t know, like a restaurant reviewer, for giving me such vicarious pleasure, and Warren Buffett, for putting his fortune to such good use. Someday I hope to do it.
Julie Lane-Gay
Vancouver, British Columbia

So often my writing — journal entries, poetry, or essays — is squeezed in between appointments and events. So I would write. Fifteen minutes of uninterrupted writing time would be a priceless gift.
Katie Noah
Abilene, Texas