Boredom Busters

Long Weekends Got You Down?

I remember when I was married and the kids lived at home that when there was a weekend with nothing to do, it was heaven on earth and a dream come true. I also remember during those years that my mom and dad, even though they had each other, complained that weekends could be difficult and long weekends more trying still. Weekdays were no problem. If it was Monday, they volunteered here; if it was Tuesday, they volunteered there. But Saturday and Sunday, oy vey!

Clearly, the solution to this problem is to get a routine in place for weekends. And until very recently, I was doing great in that regard. Saturday was my dream come true, heaven on earth do-nothing day and on Sunday, I went to a movie and dinner with my friend and was away from home for hours. Admittedly, three-day weekends were sometimes dicey.

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When my Sunday-friend got herself a new boyfriend, I was thrilled for her, but I realized immediately that her increase in activities on the weekend would have an equal and opposite impact on mine.

When the Fourth of July holiday appeared on the horizon, I knew I had to figure out a plan or risk 72-hours on the sofa sleeping, scrolling through social media, and being annoyed with myself.

And then I had a great idea! I used to sew all the time, making quilt after quilt. I would do that! And so I did. I sewed for five or six hours each day of the long weekend and I got a lot accomplished. But it was not much fun sewing on my own, not to mention that the quilt I worked on can objectively be called an ugly mess.

In spite of the fact that quilting is not the answer, there were three bits of good news in this experience:

• The activity was better than the 72-hours on the sofa concept
• I scratched one idea off the list of possible ways to spend a weekend alone
• And I could pat myself on the back for actively working on my problem

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Strangely, a couple of days after the long Fourth of July weekend, my favorite advice columnist, Carolyn Hax in the Washington Post, gave advice to a reader that was applicable to my situation even though the reader’s problem was different from mine.

In the column, the writer, Just Unhappy, states that she is in a dead-end job, in a small town, married to a man who has lost his curiosity. The woman is feeling bored and unfulfilled and wonders if there is a fix that does not involve blowing it all up.

Carolyn Hax tells her that there are always options other than blowing things up. She suggests that Just Unhappy pick a category for change and get to work on it, starting small. The categories she suggests are these: find a side hustle, start a hobby, do some self-care, and work for a meaningful cause. These options pertain to the three-day-weekend blues as well.

A side hustle and volunteer work do not appeal to me, but finding a new hobby and finding self-care experiences sound great. So I added them to a list I keep. I call it my Retirement Plan and I keep it on my computer’s “desktop” so that it is easily accessible.

I add to the list…

• When a friend tells me of a must-see movie or stream-able series
• Or I read about a new restaurant
• When I bump into someone I haven’t seen in a long time and we say, “We need to get together sometime.”
• Or when a long-lost friend pops to mind and I think, “I should call them sometime…”
• If the newspaper mentions fun things like the so-called convenience store wars, I take note. Thus, Wawa, Sheetz, QuikTrip, and Buc-ees all went on the list with the number of miles each field trip would entail.
• And when the food editor wrote the headline: You need to try these PICKLES, you better believe that little mom and pop business went on the list.

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When I was bored as a child, I pulled out the Childcraft Encyclopedia volume whose title was something like, What Can I Do Now? My Retirement Plan functions in the same manner and is a good place to look for long weekend boredom busters.

Labor Day weekend is coming up next and I am getting ready. I like the idea of going on field trips in the car. So I may be visiting those convenience stores. Or, since I am comfortable eating in restaurants by myself, I may try a new restaurant a day, traveling around the tri-state area.

There might even be a pickle or two in my future…

Oddly, this is starting to sound like fun.

And I’m beginning to feel lucky that I have been “forced” to try something new.

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