Tag Archives: days off

365 Things to Look Forward to – Number 21: Day Off!

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21. Day Off!

As a student, I never really appreciated the idea of weekends and summer breaks or Christmas breaks, or semestral breaks because they were fixed and always part of the schedule. Besides, all the way until I graduated from high school, I always wanted to be in school. If I could have lived in school, learning something new every minute of every day, or spending hour after hour reading every book in the library, it would have been heaven.

It was a little different in college, because I live right across from school in the school dormitory and was pretty much in control of my time, besides class schedules, of course.

When I started working, nearly all my jobs involved Monday to Friday work, except my theatre job, at which I worked 6 days a week, Mondays off. But because I love the theatre and every aspect of it, it wasn’t really work, was it?

After so many years of working, I am back at work in a place that is open 24/7, 364 days a year. So my days off are not always on the same days. And I always have something to do on my days off…for instance, when I get Tuesdays off, like today, I have it set aside for tutoring. So it’s not really a day off. Except that today, I can’t get in touch with any of the people that I was supposed to meet…so I suddenly have an unexpected day all to myself! Hurrah!

Baked a pie on my day off...

While I sometimes just want to cool my heels and have a really quiet day off just reading or watching movies on TV all day, I find that there are a million and one things I want to do or have to do. So my days off are full. I bake, cook, paint, read, watch TV, tend to my little rose plant (not worthy of being called a bush), clean, do laundry, do crafts, go to appointments, and just about everything else I can’t do at work. Oh, and yes, write and catch up on computer time. Although I try to do that everyday, sometimes, I only have time to check my email so my mailbox isn’t full of unread mail, and check Facebook for messages, notifications, and all sorts of other things.

...and shared it. Delicious rhubarb and cherry pie!

So, even if it’s an extremely busy day off, it’s a complete change of pace from work in the store, and something I always look forward to. If it were possible for every day to be a day off, I’d never run out of things to do!

365 Things to Look Forward to – Number 9: A Quiet Day at Home

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9. A Quiet Day at Home

Sometimes, there is nothing better than a quiet day at home.

We fill up our lives with all sorts of distractions. We have work, friends, family, events, meetings, school, and more work. We have worries about all sorts of things. We have obligations and responsibilities. And these can all be extremely exhausting.

Sure, you get caught up in the adrenaline rush all the busy-ness causes and your schedule is sometimes so full you barely have time to eat or even sleep. You always have to be somewhere with someone doing something. So you lose time to be with the most important person in your life—you!

I look forward to a quiet day at home every now and then, especially in the midst of a hectic schedule. Sure, I’m guilty of using that time to catch up on chores, do housework, write, or paint. But sometimes, I am actually able to tell myself “None of that!” and spend the whole day just reading, catching up on tv shows, or just simply catching up on sleep. I just do whatever comes to mind at the moment and not worry about chores. After all, it’s not going to kill me to hold the laundry another day or two; the apartment won’t fall apart if I don’t sweep or mop that day; I won’t starve to death if I don’t cook up a proper meal; and people won’t forget me if I don’t open my email or check out my Facebook messages for a day.

I think we all need a “me” day. Just to do whatever we want to do at home—all forms of work excluded—and just have time to relax, calm our minds and bodies, and recharge ourselves.

Understandably, you might sometimes need more “me” days, and if you can take them, you shouldn’t feel guilty about having them. I know I sometimes feel guilty that I’ve put off something I was supposed to do…not that it had a deadline at all, but I know I need to get it done. But, believe me, if anything becomes so urgent that you need to get it done this very minute, then you’ve probably been putting it off too long or taking on too many responsibilities.

When I was much younger, I took “me” days for granted. My schedule was always full of so many things to do and attend to that I sometimes spent days away from home, and very rarely had much time to myself besides to sleep. It’s not that I was always with someone, but I had so many activities and projects going on at the same time it just kept me perpetually busy.

Now, I cherish every day I don’t have to go anywhere or am expected to do something. I even cherish the half days I don’t need to leave home, and cherish the evenings I am able to spend at home. It’s probably the best thing about living alone. You have no one to answer to or answer for. You can do anything you want, any way you want, any time you want. You can be just you and simply you. As long as you don’t set any expectations for your special day by yourself, you’ll find that it will be something you will actually look forward to. No matter who you are, or what you do, you’ll find it’s a day to step back and see things from a distance.

If you are able to detach yourself from your usual busy self and do absolutely nothing related to anything else or anyone else but you, then you are on your way to enjoying a real quality “me” day.