Lazy Weekends

Sometimes there is nothing better than doing nothing. Stay in bed late. Go for a quiet stroll in a park. Read a book. Take a nap. Catch up on the various TV episodes that have piled up on the DVR. Lazy weekends are wonderful any time of the year, but I think I love them best in Summer.

Essential components of a lazy summer weekend:

• Sunshine. A beautiful, bright day makes my whole mood beautiful and bright.
• Heat. Normally I prefer cooler temperatures, but on a lazy weekend hot weather is essential. It keeps me moving slowly. If it’s not too hot out, I start to think I should be out hiking or something. Definitely not conducive to a lazy weekend! When it’s hot, though, I’m perfectly content to just be.
• Shade. Maybe it’s a patio with an umbrella. Maybe it’s a tree with luxurious grass beneath. It might be by a pool or a stream or a beach with cool water to dangle my legs in. It’s that drop in temperature, that bit of a breeze, that comfortable spot that says, “Stay and sit awhile…”
• Silence. On a lazy weekend, I like to get reacquainted with my surroundings, at least for an hour or two. Out come the earbuds. Off turns the TV, the music, the conversation. Here is where I just listen. To the children in the park, the neighbors on their patio. The wind in the trees and the buzz of the insects. On the lazy weekend, I can even stand the (normally insufferable) tinkle of the ice cream truck. It’s almost like going on vacation without leaving town.
• A good book. I may not read it, but having it there is essential. Sometimes I’ll disappear for hours into the story; sometimes I’ll read a page here and there, while allowing myself to get distracted by all the other happenings going on around me.
• Guilt-free. On a truly lazy weekend, there’s nothing urgent demanding my attention. There are no unpleasant errands or tasks that need to get done, no jobs lurking in the back of my mind. Everything can wait.

Perhaps most importantly, though, the lazy weekend can’t make an appearance too often. It should be special. It should be infrequent.

And it should be celebrated!