During the summer my weekends are “more of the same”, but they become precious opportunities during the school year and I find myself facing each one with the same dilemma- “rest and enjoy” or “complete as many errands and chores as possible”? I have to admit that as a workaholic I am guilty of doing the latter more often than not. But this year I want things to be different. I want to spend a few more of my weekends wandering the garden, exploring new places with my camera, and reading a good book. So I have decided that I need to change a few of my habits.
For years I have shopped for groceries once a week, usually on Saturday morning. My punishment for this habit is two-fold: 1. Far bigger crowds and chaos on Saturday. 2. More physical stress loading and unloading groceries because I try to buy so much (weekly needs + a few things for the pantry). This year I want to try shopping after school, two afternoons per week. I plan to buy fewer items during each excursion AND plan most trips when Gary will be home to help unload. I know I will be tired after school, but my reward will be a Saturday morning free for leisure activities. And before the winter months arrive I plan to have enough food stocked in the pantry to pare my shopping down to one quick afternoon trip per week.
Housework is something I usually ignore during the week, except for dishes and keeping the bathroom cleaned. This year I want to do one small chore each evening so I don’t spend two hours every Saturday on cleaning. Gary and I really aren’t that messy! It’s the dust, laundry, and spider webs that keep me busy. And cleaning my aquariums usually takes about half an hour. I’ve started scrubbing them a bit every other night. Gary and I have already divided the laundry. He has been taking care of the towels. I wash the sheets and our clothes. Just eliminating one load from my list helps so much!
As I get older I find myself trying to simplify more aspects of my life! Hopefully these simple changes will give me a better balance between “working weekends” and “wonderful weekends”.
(Note: these old slides are from Yosemite, one of the places where we used to wander on Saturdays. There is currently a huge fire raging dangerously close to the park.)
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