This weekend, we recovered. From October, from work, from school, from exhaustion, from colds, from busyness, from laundry. Yes, you can recover from laundry, because yes, it is a condition, semi-chronic. We slept in. We ate soup and ice cream, and drank a lot of tea. We watched TV shows and I wore pink flannel pants most of the weekend. We ate brunch and talked about big things coming in the future. We went through a lot of tissues, hot cocoa, and chili.
Because sometimes you just need a weekend where you say no to activities and recover. You just need a weekend where you grade papers so that your students don’t think you’ve taken them ransom. You need a productive weekend, one where you have time to do all those things that desperately need doing, and you don’t have to leave the house to do them. You need a quiet weekend to make you ready for the next week.
When you live in a small space, there can’t always be a desk, a kitchen table, and a utility table. Instead, there is one table that functions as everything. This one generic Ikea table allows us to have people over and share weekly family dinners with my brother. This one Craigslist table where I wrote my thesis and where I slog through all my homework. This table where the mail gets tossed, the shoes get polished,* the books get read, and life happens. This was our weekend, as far as it could be told by looks at our table, a surprisingly accurate tableau of our lives.
What did your weekend look like?
(*Full disclosure: The shoes don’t really get polished all that much… ok, so really this is the first time I have shined them in wayyyy too long. I always try to con my mom into doing it when I’m home over the holidays by leaving them out, all scuffed and sad, until she caves.)
The Art in Life 
Beautiful photos! Sounds like some much needed R and R for you guys! Our weekend was low-key as well. Went to the zoo and had time as a family of three (our dog makes 3!) and definitely talks of the future. 🙂
It was indeed!!!
And a puppy totally counts as a family of three. 🙂
I’m envious. I want – no need- one of these weekends…it seems fall has been a time of company and trips – and a weekend in sweats with movies sounds wonderful. You may have motivated me to declare one sometime soon– if I can find one on the calendar!
You practically have to be mean and lie to people to get one, but it is so worth it!
you inspired me. As soon as I read your post, I looked at my planner and found a weekend in november (only free weekend til January!) and emailed my husband, claiming it as ours. Hello movies, projects, sleep, snuggling, baking cookies and PJs…I’m counting down!
I had a big cookout at my classy remodeled home. But I didn’t hang a bunting, write a chalkboard welcome, make cool labels for the condiments (I mean, IF YOU CAN’T TELL THIS IS RELISH YOU ARE REALLY IN TROUBLE), or take ANY pictures. Soooooo…. The Pinterest Question: did it even happen?
Also laundry is ABSOLUTELY a condition.
In my case, it’s one that is threatening to kill me at any given moment.
Wait… YOU MEAN PEOPLE ATE WITHOUT BUNTING??? Whoa girl. You’re so brave.
Ahhh, recovery weekends. They’re like a nice big deep sigh – feel so good and you wonder how’d you’d been breathing before you took the sigh! I love that the table was the center of the weekend. Perfect for gathering.
Totally like a life sigh!!! 🙂
I am in deep need for recovery weekend soon. Thank you for this beautiful post!
I hope you get one!
The table in my childhood home serves the same purpose…which unfortunately means it’s usually covered by at least a foot of papers and projects to do, as those productive weekends seem to slip away. What a nice series…snapshots of a weekend spent around the most communal piece of furniture.
Thanks! Ours is currently covered in multiple layers of stuff, with a random salt shaker atop some books. Oh well. : )
My husband and I did this a few weeks ago. We tumbled out of bed late one Saturday and just stumbled onto the couch. We didn’t do anything all day! It was much needed.
I’m so glad you got to enjoy a couch day — they’re my favorites!
Agreed!!!
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