I used to hate Saturdays. Waking up to an empty (save for two quarreling cats) and cold condo in North York, I'd force myself out of bed and try to decide how to spend the next two days. I could spend the entire weekend wandering the busy city and feel completely disconnected from my "neighbourhood." Although I was surrounded by people, I never felt more alone.
But since moving to Halifax and settling in to my life with S, I've claimed Saturdays as my own. And they're one of my favourite days of the week (the other is Sunday because I get to spend it with S).
Since S works most Saturdays, I've now settled into a Saturday routine that is mine, all mine (insert evil laugh ;)!!! Sure, I could spend the day doing household chores, but instead, Saturday is a day for indulgence, relaxation and me.
It first starts with a trip to the Halifax Public Library (the bookworm in me can't wait till the new building opens!) to pick up a book or two that I may or may not read and grudginly pay fines (I am notoriously bad at returning books - I'm sure York University could have opened a wing with the fines I paid while I was in grad school). I love the smell of a library - the scent of musty paper is the smell of stories waiting to be discovered, folded between two covers. I typically pick up more books than I can stuff into my gym bag, or read. I'm a kid in a candy store.
Next, it's over to the Second Cup or Starbucks on Spring Garden Road for a latte (aka snooty, overpriced coffee) and a breakfast sandwich, where I crack open one of the books I picked up and delve into it for an hour, or tap away at my netbook and do some writing.
Then, I meander my way down Spring Garden Road, browsing through stores and glancing at pretty things I can't afford (shoes, earrings, dresses...I'm sure the store owners now know me as The Girl With the Pink Yoga Mat Bag). And off to yoga at Nubodys (now Goodlife) or Ashtanga Yoga Shala for their Karma class, where I will spend an hour breathing, stretching and - cliché though it sounds - being in the moment.
I leave the yoga studio feeling like I've just woken up from the best sleep. My body is stretched clean. Perhaps I'll go for a run, but most often my afternoon ends with some more reading and writing, my short legs curled up on an armchair or sofa in a coffee shop, surrounded by the buzz and whir of a cappucino machine and the chatter of coffee-shop conversations...
Then around 5:30 I pack up my yoga mat, my gym bag and my book and head to S's store, my frizzy hair smelling of coffee roast, and we drive home together.
Saturdays may be a day to myself, but they're no longer the loneliest day of the week. I now know how to be alone (the filmmaker and producer for that popular video happen to be based in Halifax, too - is it the city, I wonder?).
~Ceebie
8 comments:
Sounds like you have found a perfect Saturday routine..It must be a pleasure to have something to look forward to at the end of the week..very warm post - big Starbuck's cheer! Jae
It sounds as though you have found quite the niche for your Saturdays and finding the best spots for motivating the creative juices. Finding balance can be so rejuvenating.
Ah, you have found the secret of "me" time. Enjoy it to the fullest, hopefully "S" has something like that too.
Can I suggest you ring the library to extend the borrowing time for the overdue books?
Ceebie, lol, you're right... we were definitely on the same wavelength! I love my alone time, and these days, it's a rarity. You described your (new) hometown so beautifully... I could picture myself doing the exact same things. Would so enjoy being able to enroll in a yoga class... Even if I will look like a total dork at first. :)
Ceebie, your Diff. a Day Makes is great. I, too, spent years alone in NYC. I found it a wonderful place to wander, anonymous, sort of like a secret agent, picking up on conversations, sipping coffee and putting forth a different vibe for every passerby... you make it the adventure it should be! Try Lin's Dumpling House in Chinatown. Great sesame noodles, and clean bathrooms! Elizabeth Street, I think. Amy Barlow Liberatore
how to feel perfect is tricky..
fabulous progress in your case.
love your blog.
Happy Writing.
I can certainly identify with wanting a day alone. It's a perfect antidote to a frazzled lifestyle.
This sounds perfect. I can think of nothing better than coffe/shops, a good book, yoga, and finding the one you want to spend the rest of a lazy day with.
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