My high-school friend Adrienne and I haven’t seen each other in four years. I’m in New York, she’s in Illinois, we both have busy jobs, and she has two young children who, as she puts it, “can barely handle a two-hour car trip.” Finally we were going to get together for a girls’ weekend here in the city—a little shopping, some good eating (Momofuku, anyone?) and lots of catching up. At the last minute Adrienne had to cancel because her father-in-law had a health crisis. I said a prayer for Mr. B but I couldn’t quite quell my disappointment.
Back to the weekend routine, I thought glumly. Changing things up is known to give a positive attitude boost—it keeps you from feeling stuck in a rut—and here I was doing the same-old same-old. Gym. Greenmarket and grocery shopping. Vacuuming. Cleaning the bathroom. Laundry. Cooking. Taking Winky to the dog run.
I went to my usual Saturday morning circuit training class, where you move from station to station doing intense 30-second intervals with heavy ropes, kettlebells, body bars, Bosus. I can hold my own with other women but this time the instructor put me in a group with three super-fit guys. Man, trying to keep up with them was motivating! Emphasis on the trying to. Still I must have done okay because at the end of class, one of the guys gave me a high five and said, “Great workout.”
Hmm, were my negative thoughts lifting…just a little? My attitude picked up some more at the greenmarket, where I found the first black raspberries of the season. I buzzed through my other chores and even fit in a nap. Sunday afternoon I spent at the dog run, soaking up sun and watching Winky play with her BFF, Millie (aka my colleague Edward Grinnan’s golden retriever). We treated ourselves to hot dogs afterwards. Not exactly Momofuku with my old friend, but a nice weekend all the same.
Change is good. But there’s positivity in routine too, if we’re open to it. What’s the most positive part of your weekend routine?
