Wholesome Weekends at Age 26
There’s something very strange that happens when you are in your mid-twenties. It comes out of nowhere and you least expect it to happen when you’ve been non-stop for years. Since moving to Liverpool it took me a very long time to realise that I live here and I am not on my holidays so I needed to chill at the weekends and not expect party mode every Saturday and Sunday. Once this realisation happened everything changed. My name is Olivia McKearney and I love wholesome weekends.
Friday
A wholesome weekend to me is having the chillest Friday evening you can imagine. Nice dinner, a long walk in the fresh air, and an obligatory caramel latte from my cafe of choice. With my late caffeine hit I am refreshed and ready to consume both treats and entertainment. I resume my position on the couch and ignite the firestick for my viewing pleasure. But first, I must choose my emotional state, am I feeling happy, upset, or curious? This question must be answered before I can make my decision.
Once the choice has been made so begins the hard work of googling everything about the film, its cast, and its production and reception. After the revision is over I have most likely missed some vital information from the film so must revisit the plot section of Wikipedia. Despite this minor glitch, you can rest assured I will be able to tell you who the lead actor is or was married to and the film’s Rotten Tomatoes score.
Saturday
There is nothing quite like waking up on a Saturday morning fresh and ready for your day. If we look at Saturday past, I had a little lie in then got up and cooked some bacon and potato bread then got ready to head into town. I got my nails done, Barbie pink obviously, and picked up some errands. En route home I stopped in my resident coffee shop for a delicious drink. Did I care it was raining and truly a rotten day? Absolutely not because it meant I could go home and guilt-free sit and write this blog, plan my week’s content, and listen to whatever I wanted.
Then it becomes the evening. Saturday nights used to be very difficult for me, especially post-lockdown. I felt like I needed to be out and about every Saturday night because of not having the opportunity to do it for nearly 2 years. If that version of Olivia could see me now she would be absolutely raging. Because when I have a night in, I can’t stress enough that I have the ultimate night in. We’re talking fakeaways, treats and snacks, and movie or series marathons all before my self-imposed crazy bedtime of 12.30. And I love every minute of it. By this stage of the wholesome weekend, I am teetering between a trance link state of comfort and caffeine.
Sunday
I used to hate Sundays. They were literally the worst day of the week to me because it meant all the fun was over and I had to go back to traveling to work, making lunches, and all that bad stuff. Do you know how I fixed that? I work remotely and my commute has gone from nearly two hours to 2 seconds. Apart from the obvious benefits of working remotely, Sunday has become a very special day for me.
As I wake in the morning from my film comatose I have a late breakfast, might visit the gym, and get all dressed up for my day’s activities. This is usually a trip into the shops, perhaps even the cinema, and a 5 pm beverage. I mean is there anything more delicious than a glass of wine or a beer on a Sunday evening? It’s like a little toast to the weekend as a new busy week begins. Sunday went from a day I dreaded to a day I savour and enjoy every minute of.
Is this what getting older feels like and actually valuing your precious free time? By god, it feels good.