My mom always has a saying whenever I would call her on a Friday night and ask her how her week was; she would fine, but she was tired, "that Friday night tired." More and more, I understand my Mom's statement. When you have the predominantly Monday through Friday job, sometimes it feels like an accomplishment just to make it to Friday night with even a little energy left.
For our current lifestyle pace, that Friday night tired feeling almost becomes a relief, because I know that the next two days bring some relief. My job can involve a lot of evening meetings, and many of the various service organizations and board I am involved with have evening activities, so the weekend means that even if I am doing some work during the day (which occasionally happens), my evenings are almost always free to just relax (typically reading and watching sports). But it feels like a challenge to get there. This week, for example, included working the election on Tuesday and having a library Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday; next week will involve a pair of church meetings on Monday and then one of my favorite meetings, Aktion Club on Tuesday night. Couple these weeks with our usual Friday nights (as Jackie cleans my firm's office for some extra dough, I usually am working until about 7 on Friday nights, and then we do our grocery shopping afterwards, before coming home), just makes for long weeks and good feeling of relief when Friday night comes.
So tonight, I have that Friday night tired that my Mom always talks about during our phone conversations. And I think she means it the way I mean it - its been a long week, but that's such is a good thing. Its a good thing because that true sense of tired fatigue coupled with relief doesn't come from just being busy, it comes from being productive. It comes from doing things not for the sake of doing, but doing things that have meaning. And its okay and good to be tired from that; and its okay and good to be looking forward to the days of reprieve and rejuvenation; because it means you're preparing to do the same in the weeks ahead.
"Life lived amidst tension and busyness needs leisure. Leisure that recreates and renews. Leisure should be a time to think new thoughts, not ponder old ills." - C. Neil Strait
"Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends thee must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing." - Thomas A. Edison
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