I haven’t worked for three years yet I still get excited on a Friday! I’ve always kept weekends special and nothing has changed! I’ve done this for a reason. One of the common themes about retiring is the mantra, ‘every day will be a weekend’!
Not for me! If every day was treated as a weekend I’d drink far too many G&T’s and wine! I’d not exercise regularly and gain weight. I’d drift from one day to the next with little purpose other than planning fancy meals and seeing friends. Housework wouldn’t feature! The garden would probably survive. It’s my ‘go to’ place, weather permitting.
But, I have been known to bend the rules. Occasionally, not having to get up early, does allow for standards to drop. If we haven’t seen good friends for a while and a Thursday, for example, is their only free night, then the weekend will start a day early.
It was easier to ‘behave’ during lockdowns because the need never arose to actually go out and meet anyone! On a rare, sultry, warm evening, I have thrown caution to the wind! My husband and I have sat in our ‘Teak House’ at the bottom of the garden and shared a bottle of wine over a meal! So the weather does help to keep me on the straight and narrow!
I have always needed a routine and a purpose when I wake up every morning. This became even more relevant when I stopped working. My one dread was not knowing how I was going to fill my days. Having worked most of my adult life and hated ever feeling bored, I made the decision to keep weekends sacred a long time ago.
So far it has generally worked, although sorely tested over these last eighteen months! Seeing my daughter and her partner regularly has really helped. They come over weekends so I have kept to my strict regime during the week. These visits have given me a renewed purpose when lockdown felt interminable. I shall be forever grateful.
Sitting in the conservatory nursing a delicious glass of Sancerre I look back on the last week. I have exercised, got my daily minimum ten thousand steps and enjoyed the dance classes. My husband and I have done regular walks. I am feeling self-righteous!
So, wishing everyone a peaceful, happy and blessed weekend, I raise my glass in a toast! May next week be as good or even better that the last! 👠
Jenny Burrell 