Who doesn’t wait for the weekend? Right. Come Wednesday and we find ourselves slipping into the weekend mood, already. Irrespective of how our weekend looks like — partying until we drop, sleeping until our stomach growls and asks for food or running errands until we’ve got the groceries list, dusting duties, etc. under control — we wait for it. Well, there’s nothing wrong with that, at least that’s what I believed until my little friend in the neighbourhood shared how she loves Sunday mornings and enjoys weekends, but doesn’t wait for the latter, like the rest of us, adults. She is ten. Of course, she misses all the fun in the school, I thought to myself. But, it was her choice of words that got me thinking (yes, I have a tendency to do this to myself)— whilst she enjoys the time off from school, she doesn’t necessarily wait for the weekend, with bated breath, like grown-ups.
Maybe it’s just me, but the very next time I heard the words — Thank God, It’s Friday — I had mixed emotions. Naturally, I began to evaluate. Yes, as a child there were weekends when I missed playing with my classmates; of course, summer vacations were a test of survival of the fittest. During college and university days too, the morning motivation to start the day was there, be it to eat samosas in the canteen or to work on the campus magazine. Getting a job was to change things, and it did. It came with both responsibility and income. Yes, the number of hours spent at work left little for me-time, it took a lot from one to match schedules to get friends and family get together on a certain day, responsibilities at home increased too, and we grew older, as well. And the weekend became the escape plan or the solution to everything from socialising to sleeping and attending household chores to hobbies.
Whilst weekends did become important for and perhaps bigger than weekdays, the latter mattered too. Maybe it's not how the calendar shaped for all of us. Many of us survive the dread of a working week only to live on the off-days. Am I echoing the thoughts running in your head? If no, I am glad. If yes, then the very thought that there are so many of us, out there are living a life, which makes five days a week worthless is worrisome. Yes, there is something about looking forward to the weekend, but celebrating its arrival as though it is the only thing matters as far as ours sleeping and waking hours are concerned, perhaps not.
Talk today and I love all days of the week. It goes without saying that it’s taken me a while to reach this stage at work, life. This is not me suggesting you quit your job or forget responsibilities and live your dream of being a mountaineer, but it’s me asking you to stop and think. I am fortunate to bring my passion to my work, along with my coffee. Of course, we all have bad days. But maybe you could bring a change — a real plant on the desk, a nice sandwich for breakfast, a weekly lunch ritual with colleagues, a lovely playlist, a shimmering notebook to scribble your to-do list, et al. Break the pattern and start small. See how the days shape up for you. You may be left surprised.