Your Weekend

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Picture 5:00 AM on a Saturday. Most people are asleep in their beds. Some adults are on their way home from work or parties at this hour. A few crazies are awake and engaged in a project.

Where were you last Saturday morning at 5:00?

I take full ownership of my craziness. Instead of sleeping, I stood at the kitchen counter and wrote before sunrise last Saturday. I wanted to exercise, but I needed to make revisions on a book chapter first.

I tell my children, "Do what you need to do, so you can do what you want to do." I am teaching them about priorities and delayed gratification. The way I live my life offers them a model to dissect and improve on when they get older.

Where does your mind drift to when you are alone? Some of my thoughts linger on concerns about family, finances, and work responsibilities.

Starting your days, including the weekends, with exercise helps manage anxiety.

Earlier this month, on a Sunday morning, a driver hit a group of competitive cyclists in Antigua. One of the athletes, Andre Simon, remains in a coma at the nation's hospital. He needs an airlift to the States. Simon’s Antiguan insurance will not cover the 500,000 USD down payment some US hospitals require to begin services.

Contribute to the family’s fundraising efforts at this link.

Every morning is a blessing. We don't know when, but death's angel will one day slide in our DMs. We will not be able to ignore it. Awareness of this reality must encourage us to appreciate this moment now.

On Monday, funerals started for some of the victims of the Buffalo supermarket shooting. Among the precious souls laid to rest was Katherine Massey, a 72-year-old New York activist who led campaigns against gun violence. She didn’t know that a Saturday trip to the store would be her last.

Tuesday, twenty-one people, nineteen children and two adults, lost their lives in another mass school shooting in Texas. It’s difficult to accept the details of this tragedy as they continue to unfold.

Consider this post a sign to be grateful for today and a push to do more with your time. Today, resist the mental conditioning that tells you weekends are only for rest. Tonight, get your body the sleep it needs, 7-8 hours, and then get up and do your work, exercise, and spend time with your family.

Let’s talk logistics.

Did you carry the phone to this post? Is it in your hand now? Adjust the alarm settings for tomorrow. And, before your head hits the pillow, place your cell somewhere that will force you to get up and turn it off.

If you want to write in the morning, take out your notebook and a pen tonight. Put the pen and notebook in the space where you will sit or stand to jot down your first thoughts of the day. Plan to list three things that you are grateful for in life.

Make time for exercise. A walk or jog is an excellent way to get your metabolism fired up to begin your weekend. Ask a family member to come with you or consider joining a group with a fitness-focused mission for additional support.

Don’t waste your weekend. Life is unpredictable.