Time Frames

During the summer one day blends with the next. Summer vacation is like a never-ending weekend. I plan my days according to weather forecasts more than the calendar; I hardly pay attention to days of the week. Housecleaning gets done when I get around to it—usually when it gets on my nerves or when it’s raining out. I go to the grocery store when I run out of something, or am in the mood for something else. Being on vacation lends itself to a sense of timelessness. Nothing has a sense of urgency. I enjoy that. When school starts again I go back kicking and screaming…and eventually find myself on a much different schedule, and in a routine.

Monday through Friday begin at 5:30 am, and end around 9:30 pm. Between 3 and 5 I try to take care of errands and the gym. I try to watch the local and national evening news, eat dinner by 6 and start really winding down by 8. Weekends are for cleaning, and grocery shopping, other errands, laundry, and some sort of fun. Sometimes it includes a big Sunday breakfast, maybe Friday night dinner out, maybe a shopping trip.

That is, once I’m back to school I have structure again, and make good use of my time. I’m productive. And I get more done in a weekend than I do in a week on vacation. (As I tell Tamara, Gas expands to fit its container.) I balance housework and play. My weekend is my both my reward for making it through a week at work and my time to prepare for another one.

I love weekends. Almost as much as I love summer vacation.