A Do Nothing Weekend.

My weekends are jam packed. It’s a chockablock of long runs, kids cycling sessions, horse riding, soccer games, play dates, birthday parties, hair salon trips, church meetings etc.

When everyone dances to the TGIF tune, I usually take a deep silent sigh followed by how I am going to split myself through the weekend.

For me the week buzz splits right into the weekend just with different roles and bosses.

I gave away my weekends many moons ago but I must admit with Covid19 distractions it has become better, with some activities having been suspended, but again as i was enjoying the slow down with sports, it looks like we are getting back to action. Girl Gucci is having athletics trials tomorrow and Saturday.

You see we are continuously caught in the grind of work, family responsibilities resulting in ongoing stress that we end up missing the true element of rest. I must gratefully cite that I may have continued with the buzz because the great support I am afforded to bet on.

Last weekend was saved by my dear friend ChefMo (Mosili Mahakoe - check her out for all your scrumptious meals, its a plug and you'll love me for it) who spent the weekend with the Guccis whilst I was away on a Mom and Me date. She is the kind of friend that would text in bold “I am going to do my nails on Saturday morning, as soon as I'm done I am comimg to Midrand to babysit so you can have the afternoon off" and the other one read "Remove yourself from all the planned runarounds and send me the details. You are not allowed to do anything other than book yourself for a massage. I’m spending the day with the Guccis.” We even sealed arranged marriages for the kids (topic for the next blog).

For the first time since Easter weekend, I relived a "no run arounds" weekend. I intentionally suspended “all work”. I took all my to do list and errands that screamed “you should, you must, you need to, remember this and that” and chucked them away. I had no where to go and absolutely nothing to do.

I am aware that my suggestion to “a do nothing weekend” is likely to provoke chills as opposed to restfulness it’s intended for, solely because we define rest differently. So I’ll leave the planning of your “5 Star Do Nothing Weekend “ in your hands, in the meantime, let me share how mine looked like;ike;ke;e;;

For the better part of me, I’ve carried a “skewed” view that being a parent comes with a silent manually that says “no rest, busy weekends starts now” and this was supported by the the world we live in that also perpetuate a go go gunners mode. But I’m slowly letting go of that fluff. We all need rest and I recommend that we purposefully schedule regular “do nothing weekends” tap into our being and allow us to de clutter and smell the Roses . The outcome was beautiful and productive. I listened better and really felt myself (if you know what I mean).

You see we’ve made it an “in thing” to be busy bees. My mind is always on a grind and I enjoy doing something even if it means cutting kids nails or chasing air in scorching sun as long as the train is moving. Once I notice my kids hand prints on the walls, that calls for an immediate quick clean, just so I'm moving..

It’s always a great idea when you do less and slow down a bit (they say less is more). You miss absolutely nothing but instead gain so much of yourself, letting you to pour more into “others” cups.

This “do nothing” turned out to be what my body, mind and spirit needed...but come Sunday evening, the naughty voice was on my case accusing me of having wasted time. It worked so hard guilt tripping me into being lazy. I put a big STOP on it. I quickly reminded it to go back to the naughty corner because Man I had a Boss Weekend and wasn’t going to allow intruders dilute that.

I am aware that my advise to “a do nothing weekend” is likely to provoke chills as opposed to restfulness it’s intended for, solely because we define rest differently. So I’ll leave the planning of your “5 Star Do Nothing Weekend “ in your hands, in the meantime, let me share how mine looked like;

• Buckets of microwave butter pop corns

• Letting kids continue with their cycling activities without me

• The Guccis and I took a stroll around the park (without me power walking and wanting to beat my last best time) and I was fully present.

• Splash in a pool

• Sleeping in and more sleep

• There was no multi tasking and no mind wracking about the next appointment

• Not stressing about dishes. I neatly packed them away in a sink for a wash once in the evenings

• Saturday night dinner of cornflakes

• Stayed late watching YouTube videos and discovering “The Makhs”

• Saved some money. Doing nothing = No money spent = Getting closer to being that Millionaire I thought I’d be by age 30

I will not always have a do nothing weekend but it’s surely to be repeated for my sanity’s sake. I also plan on a “do nothing week” and we will see how that one goes.

This is not a quiz, but would like to hear from you in the comment section….

• What do you plan to do this weekend?

• How would your “do nothing weekend” look like?

• How do you reconnect with self?

• Out of 5, how do feel when doing nothing?

• What does rest look like for you?

Its a Wondrous Weekend...ooops Wednesday :-)/

Put it to Rest

Likha~(Biso)