You lazily stretched before reclining in your comfiest chair. You camped in your balcony and watched the part of the city within your immediate sight. In the not-too-far distance, the peaceful view of the lake and mountains contrasted the hustle and bustle of people rushing to their destinations.
It was late Friday afternoon and you had just finished working. You went through a very long week, with back-to-back meetings that required your utmost attention and tasks that nearly ran your creative juices (and patience) dry.
The weekend is a well-deserved break. You counted yourself blessed for having two days off from work and for feeling free as you watched people from your balcony.
For a fleeting moment, you found yourself wondering where you'll be tomorrow and even in the coming weeks, months, and years. You hoped you'd still feel as blessed as you do in this moment. The future is too ambiguous to stress over.
You shifted your gaze and turned to the sunset, visible just above the horizon. Sunsets are always beautiful to you, wherever in the world you may find yourself to be. It's your favorite time of the day.
You loved how it signaled the day's end and ushered in the time for rest. And though you've never admitted it to anyone before, beautiful and poignant sunsets make you tear up.
The Friday sunset may seem mundane, easily overlooked as people look forward to nights out and weekend day trips, but to you it felt comforting.
Indeed, the waterworks in your eyes began as you let go of all the stress and burdens you carried the whole week. Thank God for this Friday sunset, you thought as you took in a deep breath of fresh air.
Forgoing any shame (no one was looking anyway), you let your tears flow freely. God knows you needed this release from everything you endured the past week.
After you've calmed down, you looked up again just in time to see a plane fly by. You were keen to travel again, promising yourself to book another trip when things have calmed down at work. You couldn't wait to see new sights and visit your favorite places, maybe even travel with loved ones. It will be a refreshing change, you wistfully sighed.
As the night lights began to take over your view, you got up from your seat. Going back inside your apartment, you thought about how you'll spend the weekend.
Let's see. I need to clean the apartment and buy groceries and shelf organizers. While I'm at the mall, I can also get some new clothes. Oh, and I was invited to a café hopping date. I should fix my schedule to accommodate everything...
You suddenly caught yourself and paused from your thoughtful planning. You don't need to restrict yourself to a schedule, was your gentle reminder to yourself to take it easy. Just do what you need to and what you can.
What do I want to do this weekend? It felt like a long time since you asked yourself that. You were so used to working on a schedule, even on weekends. Honestly speaking, you feel lost without a to-do list or a timetable to follow.
But you knew you deserved the rest and a peaceful weekend. So you identified what you absolutely needed to do over the next two days and who you wanted to spend time with. More importantly, you resolved to intentionally make time for rest at home and for pampering treatments.
But by prioritizing what you really wanted to do, you felt the instinctual pull to feel guilty over "neglecting" the chores you knew you could accomplish on another day. You willed yourself to not give in. I should really let go of this mindset and let myself enjoy, you rolled your eyes at your own internal battle.
As you entered your kitchen, you realized that you didn't feel like cooking. Goodness, you were too tired to do it. So you grabbed your phone and ordered your comfort meal instead.
As you waited for your food to arrive, you gazed out the window to the darkened sky. You happily bid farewell to the long week behind you.
Goodbye, Mr. Sun. See you in the morning.
The day is done and now it's time to have some fun.