Thank God it’s Friday

I’ve been sorting through a lot of old things lately and came across a series of essays from 2003-2004. I thought they deserved to see the light.

All week, the monotony of the daily grind wears me down. Five days a week my alarm rings at 6 a.m. pulling me from my slumber. Stumbling form my bed, another day of school calls my name. Between homework, theater, and band, my weekdays and jam-packed. The weekends are breathers, commas in the story of my life. Those two short days can be full of chaos or completely stagnant. I find the most memorable and important events in my life occur between Friday afternoon and Sunday night. Time to think, read, relish and company of others, and take a step back to enjoy life consumes the precious hours of my weekends. 

Fridays are usually a blur. From August through November, football games fill the evening to the brim. Of course, the only reason to watch high school football is the halftime show. Marching band is by far the most amazing extracurricular activity I have had the pleasure of participating in. Something extraordinary happens when 200 kids line up underneath the stadium lights, wearing feather in their caps and march to the music of their own making. Playing my piccolo on Friday nights, riding the bus ride to away games, wearing the wool parts, traipsing through the muddy fields, and attending the band parties afterwards create a perfect end to hectic a week and a nice segue into the weekend. 

I usually wake up early on Saturday mornings. I supposed it’s a habit from my childhood when Dad used to make pancakes and we’d eat together as a family. That was before hockey games, swimming lessons, sleepovers, and the thousands of other activities that fill my siblings’ time as well as my own. Now, I’m lucky to get a bowl of cereal down before heading out to Skyline Music for flue lessons at 10:30. With a car and my license, my Saturday afternoons are more diverse than they used to be. I am in charge of my destination and determine my own plan. My favorite place in the world is the beach. Sometimes, thought not as often as I’d like, I go out on the piers at Huntington Beach and write, watch the sea gulls, or visit the place we scattered the ashes of Mr.Cat, my first pet and friends. A certain calmness exists where the water meets the shore. I feel so far removed from the work when I’m at the beach. 

Going to the beach is a perfect example of my philosophy on entertainment; “cheap is good, but free is better.” Plenty of Saturdays are spent running errands or doing homework, but most evenings I find time to be with my friends. I’ve found that the most fun can be had with little or no money, as long as a bit of imagination and an open mind are in supply. In the past few months, my friend and I have gone square dancing, fed the ducks at Clague Park, and played ultimate frisbee. We also do more conventions things such as renting movies and playing board games. It’s so nice to know that at the end of the week a day for relaxing and catching up on the truly important things in life is waiting. 

This past summer, my family instituted a new unofficial Sunday tradition. In an attempt to spend some good old quality time together the “Sunday Beach Family Adventure” was born. At least twice a month, our family goes on a day trip, out to dinner, or participates in some activity together. We’ve visited Mentor Headlands, eaten at a fondue restaurant, ridden on a catamaran, made home made ice cream and seen The Red Hot Chili Peppers in concert These special Sundays have really helped to bring our entire family together. When we each have our own agenda, it’s easy for an entire week to go by without having a decent conversation. I’m glad we set aside special time for the six of us to enjoy each other’s company. 

Each weekend hold different surprises and new adventures. It’s impossible to tell exactly how the days will go or precisely what is in store. Saturdays and Sundays rejuvenate me for the coming week and help me reflect on the week gone by. My best ideas and most creative thoughts come to me during unstructured time. The weekend is a lifesaver in the sea of my hectic life. It gives me time to catch up on the things I’m too busy to do during the week Though each weekend is different they all include new experiences, old friends, and the lack of stress that continue to make the weekend the best part of the week.