Ah, The Weekend

We live in a nation that very clearly separates the work week from the 'weekend.' We tend to view the weekend as the reward at the end of a wasteland of work days. There is much groaning concerning Monday mornings, a small ray of hope on Wednesday (humpday) and the gleeful declaration of TGIF (thank God its Friday) at the beginning of our weekend. We make plans that often leave us more tired than relaxed come Sunday night. Its a funny thing ... what happens to the weekend when the kids have all left home and a person is basically not in the work mode anymore. I don't particularly care if its Saturday or Thursday ... I can go do what I want whenever the spirit moves me... except, of course, for sporting events. I tend to forget that it is 'different' now for other people who must still be ready to get up in the morning and follow a routine. And, being a creature of habit, I have flailed around looking for a routine now that the alarm clock doesn't go off at 6:30 a.m. After all, I still have a working husband with places to go and things to do. But ultimately, it is a nice thing to have no routine ... or to create a routine for that particular day or week. If I get beyond the feelings that are unfamiliar to me it is really quite freeing. Places that are typically swamped on the usual weekend, lend themselves to leisurely perusal during the week. Traffic is nonexistent during the week, barring the rush hours. It is far easier to accomplish very many things. So, what is so special about weekends. Well, those kids that left are still looking forward to their weekends. They come home occasionally and we, as parents, get to fuss over them again ... for a bit. We can plan the bigger meals with the favorite foods, the holidays with all of their favorite decorations and just the ability to spend time with them while they are relaxing. So, even though everyday can be a fun day when one doesn't have to follow a routine ... we can still celebrate the weekends in that old-fashioned, American way ... TGIF.