a restful weekend?

~ Katherine Saxby

A few years ago, I asked a neighbor who had just returned from a cruise if she had a good time.  She responded that she had, but it “was really just some expensive sleep”.  I thought about that comment as I recently compared Spring Break with fellow teachers.  A few lucky ones did get away for the week or a few days;  the majority of us, however, mentioned getting tires rotated,  gardens started, a root canal, or caught up with grading.  My personal Spring Break included taking rugs to be cleaned, dealing with hot-water heater repair,  and visiting the Hazardous Waste Disposal Facility (I know you’re jealous) among other chores. 

I thought about the concept of  “expensive sleep” again on this morning as I was pulling weeds while my husband cleaned the aquarium.   It’s 11 am, Saturday as I write and we’ve already applied some paint stripper to the baseboards and window trim in our back room, planned next week’s menu, and gone to the farmer’s market—all after enjoying a (fantastic) homemade breakfast and cleaning up the kitchen.  The plan for the rest of the day doesn’t look too different from the morning: vacuuming upstairs and downstairs, pruning some plants, and a little bit of school work.  I will say that we slept in a little bit– (6:30 am instead of 6).  Tomorrow’s list includes grocery shopping, laundry, and meal prep.  Just another restful weekend.

I don’t know when life became like this.  Weekends feel like home maintenance and prep for the work week (fortunately, they usually include nice happy hours and great dinners), but I must admit that having my clothes and our meals ready to go before Monday morning makes the week easier.  We’ll just have to get away soon for some actual rest.

Published by Katherine Saxby

A veteran English and French teacher, an optimistic but negligent gardener, and an adventurous vegetarian cook, Katherine is always looking for ways to improve her lesson plans, her accent, her pie crust, and everything else (including her waistline). Even though her younger, thinner self thought that she would have most of the answers by the time she reached her fifties, Katherine still responds to queries and challenging situations with “Let's think about that” or “I don't know; let's find out”. She employs these phrases in her classroom and in the 113 year old house she shares with two cats and the patient, creative architect who is her husband.

2 thoughts on “a restful weekend?”

  1. Ah, the routines that keep us intact to teach! Working now with the National Japanese Historical Society, I miss those routines and sensible ways to keep going. You’d think with a flexible schedule life would have time for more music, pleasant dining and day dreaming, on my ineptitude with time management has finally been revealed. You actually sound smart about time.

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  2. Grace, you are too kind. I’m smart about time mostly because my husband is remarkably disciplined about getting things done! I’ve adapted (somewhat) after all these years, but I think that we all need time for daydreaming.

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