Make the Most of Your Weekend

“Everybody’s working for the weekend!” We’ve all heard the anthem made famous by Loverboy in the 80’s. Our culture has a passion for weekend breaks from the daily grind. By our count there are 55 hours in a weekend (beginning at 5:00 p.m. on Friday until midnight on Sunday). But are you maximizing that time? Here are some ideas that may expand your possibilities for making the most of your work-free days. Take this as your challenge to reclaim your work-free hours. Shake up your routine and enrich your life in fresh ways.

Photographic Scavenger Hunt

Pull out a map of your state and pinpoint your home on the map. Draw a circle that defines a 60-mile radius from your residence. Mark an “X” on every park or recreation area that’s within an hour’s drive of your front door. Spend a day visiting parks in search of photographs that capture interesting or beautiful shots of nature.

Renewal and Rest

If your energy reserves are running low, perhaps it’s time you reserved an entire weekend for renewal. Clear your schedule and spend a day in rest and reflection. Create a schedule beforehand that includes periods of silence - meaning no television, music or cell phones - and fill the time with prayer, journaling, Bible study and reading. Do the things that genuinely renew your spirit.

Search Your Own Town

Be a tourist in your own town. Visit unique museums. Look for interesting businesses that offer free tours (ice cream factories, tea companies) and throw them into the mix. Top off your day by people watching at the local airport. Search your city’s listings for cultural festivals, plays, and other events you don’t normally attend.

Read to Relax

Take a weekend to blitz that novel you have wanted to read. Invite a friend to go along for a relaxing weekend in the park or at a local coffee shop. If your novel happens to be a major motion picture, watch it while eating pizza and dessert. Discuss which version was better.

Treasure Hunt

Don’t go to the predictable mall. Before the weekend, make a list of the names and locations of the best flea markets and antique shops in your area. (Visit fleamarketguide.com and antiqueshop.com to find shops in your area.) Begin the day early by scouring the yard sales, then move on to the flea markets and antique shops.

Weekend Learning

Choose a skill to bone up on like Web design, drawing, or cooking. Find out what’s offered in your area by visiting the American Association of Community Colleges at aacc.nche.edu. Look for the “Find Your Community College” search option. If you are feeling adventurous, enlist a friend to join you for a weekend workshop or activity you’ve never done before.

Be a Kid Again

Take a weekend with your pals to really let yourselves be kids again. Fly kites, swim in the lake, watch cartoons, and eat fresh-baked cookies. Play tag in a local park and then watch a movie like The Sandlot that celebrates the richness of being childlike. Take camera along to record the day’s events, and then share the pictures on a site like webshots.com or flickr.com.

Volunteer

Nothing refreshes the soul like serving another person in need. Use your weekend to get out of your comfort zone and serve in your community. Once you’ve selected a project, invite friends and others at your church to join you for a day of giving back.

Reclaim your weekend. Make it memorable. If everybody’s working for the weekend anyway, you might as well plan to have something to look forward to - and to look back on.