Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Weekend calls
Nearly all of us look forward to weekends, but when they do come we are sometimes at a loss as to what to do. How do you make the most of those precious hours? N. Dilshath Banu takes a closer look

Picture this… you are lying on a sandy beach, in the midst of coconut palms, sea gulls and sounds of the waves, while you watch the waves move around. Or surrendering yourself in a lush garden with cascading waterfalls, lotus ponds and floating lotus flowers. Or in a restaurant filled with dishes you love to try. Or just letting your mind wander!

That might sound too good to be true. Besides you don’t have money and more than anything the time for such holidays. Your life is arranged according to the beat of the watch. Twenty-four hours per day and one hundred and sixty hours per week – meetings, crucial work, vehicle arrangements, school work and on and on. Life rotates around the clock and calendar, and the holidays for most of us are during the school vacation or on long weekends. Yet, how many us of are aware that, our calendar has dedicated 48 hours of holidays once every week. Weekends!

Although, our generous calendar has dedicated two days for relaxation, many of us fail to enjoy this privilege. In today’s globalised world, people are in a rush to gain monetary wealth. Some of us work almost seven days per week with no rest. Such people do not understand the value of life, but become money-making machines. And for some of us, the weekends are filled with tuition classes, in addition to school lessons during the week. Weekends have become just ordinary days! No one has special plans or designs for the weekend. However, all of us have our special ways of handling weekends.

Achala (21) says, “I don’t plan weekends, none of my family members do so, unless there is a family trip or some important occasion. I don’t think it’s necessary for us to plan weekends, because weekends are the time for relaxation. We are tired of planning the week, and it’s the same thing when you plan your weekends. We should keep our brains free during weekends. Usually, on Sundays I go to church for mass and other than that I watch movies.”

Having the same notion as Achala, Fayaz (23) says that it’s the unplanned, the spur-of-the-moment occurrence on weekends that boosts our energy. “This will also make your weekend very surprising and much more enjoyable. Usually during weekends, I just hang out with my friends, if there’s a possibility. But on Sundays, I sleep.” (Indeed sleep is a very relaxing ingredient to add to your weekend.)

For twenty-two-year-old Imthiyaz, weekends are cool. “Sometimes I plan my weekends, if there’s anything special, but not often. I have classes, but I also take some time off to meet friends.”

Working for an airline, twenty-two-year-old Randev says that he works according to roster hours, and sometimes he has to work night shifts as well. “When I am at home during weekends, I hang out with friends or sometimes I sleep.” Unlike the others, Randev insists on planned weekends, as it gives him a sense of order. “If I am working late on Friday night, I’ll plan the weekend with my friends. If not, I plan my weekends before Friday.”

Prasanna (21) too plans his weekends, but it’s based on his classes. “My Saturdays are filled with classes, in the morning and in the evening. If there are no classes, I would just have fun with my friends. I spend my Sundays with my family, as it’s the only day I’m with all my family members.” He says that on Sundays there will be no appointments with anyone, unless something very important must be discussed or there is a plan scheduled. He dedicates one exclusive day for his family. “On Sundays, normally I am up in the morning and try to make plans for the day, including a bit of gardening. And in the latter part of the day, I join my family members to cook dinner.”

In the midst of controversy that weekends shouldn’t be well programmed, it’s very surprising there are a few of us, who really do enjoy taking a different route during weekends. Some of us even have separate weekend goals.

Shafraz (20) says, “I have major plans for weekends. On weekends, I do follow some other studies, because I am interested in the travel trade, but I have definite plans like two hours dedicated to reading books on travel, chatting with some one in the travel trade, finding out the options that I have in a part-time job and many other stuff related to the travel trade. It’s so exciting to know that I have a different timetable in the weekends, unlike most others.” Shafraz says that his family members are very co-operative towards his weekend plans, adding that he does not forgot to hang out with his friends on weekends as well.

For twenty-four-year-old Tania, improving her garden and learning about gardening is her weekend goal. “All of us should have gardens, because it’s so relaxing when you can just sit in your garden after a hectic day and spend some time. This gives you much satisfaction.”

Whether you strategically plan your weekend, mildly plan them or love the spur-of-the-moment occurrence in your weekend, it’s upto you to decide. You may not need to plan your weekend hour by hour, but a general plan to any weekend could give you greater satisfaction.

You may not need vacation packages, entertainment tickets, tours, meals and wait for the school vacation to have that deep holiday satisfaction. Just a weekend hobby could help you increase awareness of yourself and make you feel self–confident. Who knows, your weekend hobbies could boost your career as well!

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