Looking Forward to Weekly Rewards
My writing prompt asks, What do you look forward to every week?
There were years in my life when that would have been a difficult question. I found little to look forward to on a daily basis. In fact, that's why I came to start writing this blog. Recalling one of the darkest times in my teenage years, I remembered something my mother told me: Think of one good thing every day.
It's good advice. One thing. Every day. No matter how many seeming-tragedies and reality-checks, there must be one good thing that happens on a daily basis. Yet, with so many things in life, learning to figure out that good thing takes practice. Every day.
As happens when practicing something every day for years, the difficulty in answering this question changes. It isn't about one thing anymore. It's about naming only one. Here's what I mean.
Mondays: I like the jump-start into my routine. Filling in my week with the must-dos and maybe-wills gives me a focus. By the end of the week, my linear list is littered with arrows indicating "tomorrow." But, the plan is "set" if only in the writing down.
Tuesdays: I love Tuesdays. Maybe because I was born on a Tuesday. Maybe because it isn't Monday anymore, but still before the middle of the week. There's still time to start the week well if Monday was typical.
Wednesdays: These have become my sing-song days. For several years, I loathed the Wednesday schedule with its over-socialized, long evenings. Sometimes I simply didn't feel like singing, and many people thought I should. Sometimes I simply wanted to study and to be unknown. But, now? I realized after joining a community choir how much I missed singing in the choir. I've also tried to establish Wednesdays as writing days. Few chores with more words. That's the goal.
Thursdays: They suck. Because it's vacuuming day. By this time of the week, I need some ambient noise with a rhythmic sway. Then, I can revel in an afternoon of repose without regret.
Fridays: These are my "days off." I schedule time with family and friends. I allow myself well-being indulgences. I don't feel concerned if I do nothing.
Saturdays: These are my sleep-in days. These are my whatever days because I've learned not to have big goals when my whatever husband is home. We just do the day.
Sundays: These are my worship days. I love to get ready for church before everyone else and spend time doing a Sunday-lite Bible study. I do this to get myself ready for what Sundays bring--getting to the church on time, serving and socializing, contemplating what could be different and applying what should, choosing to rejoice. And afterwards? A nap. A long nap.
Much like writing, finding one thing to look forward to takes years of daily practice. Somehow that practice builds and grows into something of heft and worth. Somehow the one thing becomes another and another. Somehow looking forward to that next one thing every day becomes a weekly reward.