Finding Time For Weekend Adventure
Photo by Timon Studler on Unsplash
Don’t let your weekend adventure opportunities slip away!
Weekends are never long enough.
We have all made that claim. Responsibilities from during the week get pushed to weekends because of more perceived time. Shopping needs to get done, the house needs to get cleaned, we have to get ready for the next holiday, the car needs service. It's easy to fill time on the weekend with the tasks that life throws at us.
When we find ourselves on Sunday night looking at what we've accomplished over the weekend, and what is still left to do, that is when the thought about never enough time on the weekend runs through our head. And where was the time to recover and rejuvenate?
Sometimes we equate rest with rejuvenation, and sometimes rest helps. However, they don't mean the same thing. I spend a fair amount of my dad-life feeling tired. But I find ways to rejuvenate and restore all the time. Usually, this is by purposefully going out to find new experiences to share with my kids.
Let's turn this thought about weekends never being long enough around a little. When you or your family look back on a recent weekend, do you reflect on how great a job you did with the grocery shopping? What about those fond memories of cleaning the oven? I'm not saying these things shouldn't get done. However, it's more about finding balance with responsibilities and creating memories.
Maybe the thought you should be having on Sunday night is:
What memories did we create this weekend?
I often take free time for granted. Without a definition of how you will use that time, it often isn't viewed as valuable. Filling some of that free time with the purpose of creating memories is important not only for your rejuvenation but also to build a better bond with your family.
Think of a frustrating moment during a long week. Would you prefer to look forward to a weekend filled with raking the fall leaves off the front lawn, or a hike through the redwoods with your loved ones? What would they prefer? What will create memories they might talk about years from now?
It's easy to squander the opportunities weekends present. It's easy to think it's only a couple of days, that there is another weekend just a week away. But if we look at weekends as a solid block of time instead of a couple of days here and there, you might begin to change your outlook.
Let's start by looking at one week
The average weekend has two days off, every so often it might be 3 or even 4 days off. Two days doesn’t seem like a lot of time, and it isn’t very hard to fill the time. Now let’s look at an average month.
For an average month, you will have roughly eight weekend days, and likely a holiday in there. Viewing the whole block of time starts to take on a different feeling now. Those days off now look like a 2-week vacation instead of a couple of days without definition at the end of your week. Now let's look at 2 months.
Over the course of two months, you might average 18 days off. Now that's quite a big block of time. You should ask yourself what percentage did you use to deal with what responsibilities life was throwing at you, and what part was used to create memories with your loved ones. We need to strive to find a better balance, putting these weekend days to work for us.
Want more tips for successfully getting out for family adventure with your family?
Adventures In Getting Out has dozens of clever tips and ideas for getting your adventure on the road?
Get your copy today!