The Speedy Weekend

Every Friday when we get home from work, it seems that the weekend will hold plenty of time for us to get our tasks done, relax some, and actually enjoy the time off.  Come Sunday night, however, we look back and wonder where all the time disappeared to.  How come the weekend always seems to fly by faster than any other time during the week.  Yes, I know, it is the shortest part of the week, two measly days in which to get stuff done around the house, relax with our family, and enjoy ourselves.  Yet despite the fact that it is the shortest part of the week being only 2 days, it seems like we should be able to fit so much more into a weekend.  Perhaps for me it is the fact that I now have a 6.5 month old son who adds to the influx of activites that need to get done and takes priority over everything else.  Perhaps it is just the case that as you get older and time seems to move more quickly and the days begin to blend into one another that you realize how precious every second is and how much you would like to have more seconds to enjoy.  Or maybe we just need to cut down the work week to four days instead of five so that our weekend is three days instead of two.  Personally, I like the idea of a three day weekend and only a four day work week.  I would be totally willing to work longer on those four days in order to get an extra day of relaxation (not that it is total relaxation with all that I try to get done, but you get my point). 

So this weekend, as usual, I definitely didn't get as much done as I wanted to.  In fact, I didn't even get half of what I wanted to get done, done.  I can't complain too much, however, because I always have a tendency to set unrealistic expectations of what I can actually get done in a weekend.  I have grand plans always set by Friday evening of what I want to do, the projects I want to work on, the cleaning I need to do, the time I want to spend with my family.  Come Saturday, those plans are invariably twisted, skewed, and altered to adapt to current situations.  Our son takes priority now over everything else.  I take plenty of time to spend with him, putting on hold everything else to ensure that he gets to see me.  But it is what it is, everything else can wait.  This past Saturday in fact, I got almost nothing done on my to-do list.  The only major project that was completed was the cleaning of the garage to create a little extra room and make things more manageable.  My wife and I emptied everything out, swept, organized, and put everything back.  In between all of that was our son who we spent time with, and in the end, the garage was organized.  I didn't get the grass cut as I wanted to, or wax my concrete countertop, or work on the cabinets, or anything else.  All that stuff isn't going anywhere, though, and it will be there waiting for me next weekend.  A little bit at a time and in a few centuries it will all be done. 

But back to this three day weekend.  I go back this week to taking a day off to watch our son and spend time with him at home.  When my wife gets out of work as a teacher and can watch our son during the summer, I will probably take off Friday and in essence, create for myself a three day weekend with a four day work week.  Those other four days I realize I will have to work my butt off in order to get the necessary amount of work done, but I have no issue with that.  I only hope that I can continue to keep my four day work week, three day weekend to some extent, but I don't know if that will happen.  For now, I will simply keep on trucking, getting as much as possible done during the weekend and not sweating the fact that I am not getting it done as quickly as I want to.  Personally, I think America should adopt the afternoon siesta, but that will absolutely never happen.  For some reason, we here in America like to work long weeks and be "productive".  Well, I for one think siesta's are productive in the fact that they would allow us time during the day to relax, regroup, spend time with family if we wanted to, and enjoy life a little more.  Unfortunately, the siesta was born in a different culture and our culture here in the U.S. would not be able to adapt.  We can dream, however, and that is what I plan on doing.  For individuals who work for themselves, the siesta is possible, but not always realistic.  Ah well, let us simply enjoy the time we have, regret not that time flies too fast, and just live each day as it comes.