I love weekends. I am one of the fortunate people who works Monday to Friday, so the weekend means a lot to me. I work in health care in a small town. I find my job extremely rewarding, but also emotionally draining. It is hard to watch friends and acquaintances battle illness. Usually by Friday, I am more than ready for the break from my work. Taking time to recharge is very important to one's sense of peace and stability. We are not created to run from activity to activity with no rest in between. In recharging, we find our balance, strength and happiness.
As a person who works full time during the week, there is always work to be done at home. I have to get some laundry done, clean my house and work on my minimalism. These tasks are not my favourite things to do, but I do like that I don't have a specific timeline in which to complete them. I get to create nice meals because of the extra time. My husband and I can linger over them and not worry about rushing to get dishes done. We like to watch a movie or catch the latest Saturday Night Live together, allowing ourselves to rest from our chores throughout the day.
As a couple that is soon welcoming a child, my husband and I have discussed the importance of traditions. Most of my fondest childhood memories are linked to simple traditions that my family used to do. My husband has similar memories with his family. My husband and I already had the practice of attending church every Sunday morning. We enjoy connecting with our faith once a week, bringing us back to center. We have started the tradition of eating crepes after mass, a tradition gleaned from each of our families. Shaun's family would gather for lunch each weekend after Sunday services. The crepe recipe is from my father. He would make them on weekends when he wasn't working and we loved to eat them. My brother and I each enjoyed different toppings, but we both had a strong enthusiasm for the meal. I suspect that my mother, who did almost all of the cooking, enjoyed the break from playing chef as much as the meal. My dad would even "dye" the crepes with food colouring to match holidays. Pink for Valentines day, green for St. Patrick's day and so on. The first time my husband ate a crepe in front of me, I actually gasped. He was doing it all wrong! He was eating the crepe as one would eat a buttermilk pancake. I showed him our crepe eating "technique". You put all the toppings on the crepe, roll it up and eat small sections of it with a fork. My hubby thought it was hilarious that I took such offense to the way he had eaten the crepe, but has happily converted to the roll-up technique. As we eat, my husband and I use the time to really talk and reconnect. I cherish this time immensely.
It is important to make sure that you schedule in time to recharge. I am aware that a lot of people don't have the luxury of a weekend to spend recharging. Many people are required to work weekends or spend weekends rushing their children to tournaments and competitions. Often, other obligations take up our "free" time, until we no longer feel that our time belongs to ourselves. Like all other aspects of our lives, we must be vigilant in scheduling in time to recharge. It could be simply having your family sit down once a week to share a meal and catch up with one another. It could be walking your dog in the park. Many harried mothers I know love just being able to take a bubble bath without interruption. One must simply ask themselves when they truly feel peaceful and happy. When you discover the activity that allows you to find that sense of calm, schedule it in! Make time to recharge yourself. You will find that doing this will give you a much more peaceful outlook on your busy life, giving you the feeling that you can tackle it all.
What are the ways that you like to recharge? What moments of peace get you through your week? I would love to hear from you! Thanks for reading!
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