I often call it "Divorced Dad Mode". I don't actually have kids, but I could envision the state I was in amplified if there were shitty kids. She was a "hoarder in training", so after she took her shit and got the fuck out, I was in an empty apartment. Beautiful.

My favorite way to explain this is in a conversation (paraphrased) I had with a friend.

"What are you going to do now?"

"Whatever I want."

"Awesome! So what are you doing now?"

"Sitting in a chair."

"So, you're not doing anything?"

"No dude. I'm doing exactly what I want. It's fucking beautiful. You really don't realize just how amazing it is to just sit in a fucking chair in silence. Angels could descend from the heavens to sing for me now and I'd want them to shut the fuck up. This is so lovely".

No more 10 minute conversations about "What's for lunch/dinner?" I just eat whatever the fuck I want. No more nesting bullshit - where she tries to throw my shit into a closet so she can hoard more garbage from Goodwill - and no more crying from her about me telling her to "quit buying stupid shit from Goodwill. We're set". No more of her bitching about her shitty sister and complaining about problems that are very, very easily solved.

Freedom is the ability to do whatever you want, yes. But sometimes, that means being able to just sit in a chair in fucking silence.