Natalia Naman Temesgen: The glory of weekends
Ah, the power of the weekend. There's this glow that falls over me starting around lunchtime on Friday. I push through the afternoon with a special energy that comes from the promise that I won't have to read another email until Monday morning. It's almost the weekend.
During the week, the thought of Saturday pops in my mind from time to time. Burned out by the task at hand, I take a brief mental vacation to the weekend ahead. What lovely things will I be doing? Going down to Market Days on Broadway? Working in my garden? Writing my play? Visiting friends?
It seems everyone has a different idea of how to spend a perfect weekend. One of my coworkers loves day trips to Atlanta to shop. Another feels she can best decompress from the week by going to sit in the dark at an action movie. My mom is like that too. Her weekend isn't complete if she hasn't gone to the movies and eaten popcorn. My husband and his friends love to play a few games of pickup basketball. My dad likes long runs on the Chattahoochee RiverWalk.
I don't have one specific thing I must do every weekend, but by the time Friday rolls around I've come up with a hodgepodge list of about 10 things I'd like to accomplish.
Needless to say, maybe two or three of them actually happen and the reality check of the time constraints of two and a half days begins to set in. It's a little emotional rollercoaster I've become used to.
On Sunday morning, I try to center myself spiritually and then let the day become what it will. By this point, I've abandoned my weekend to-do list. Sunday is a good day for scaling back my expectations and just enjoying the present moment with family.
We may grill out. Or play in the yard. Or just relax on the couch. But however little we do, we are still able to luxuriate in the slowness of the day off.
We know another busy week is coming, so we treasure the time left. The shared stillness is a salve that gives us the renewed ability to part ways -- work, work and preschool await. Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if every day was the weekend. Would I plant 50 vegetables in my garden and clean out every closet in the house?
Would I binge watch every TV show I never got the chance to start? Would I spend all day playing with my daughter and every night on a date with my husband? The obvious answer comes quickly every time: no freaking way.
The power of the weekend is that it is precious. It's natural to want to work. Even if we love our job, we do it with an industrious spirit. But the weekend is the opposite. It's a time to explore, to discover, and to treasure the possibilities of a wide-open day that is yours for the taking.
This story was originally published June 6, 2015 at 10:12 PM with the headline "Natalia Naman Temesgen: The glory of weekends."