Don’t you just love waking up on a Monday morning, with a whole new week stretched out in front of you, and you feel rested + ready + inspired? Let’s be honest, it’s not every Monday that feels this way, but it just so happens that today, for me, I woke feeling like my weekend was complete + I was ready to move into my Monday activities. Dare I even say that on Sunday night, I didn’t have any of that “Oh no, tomorrow’s Monday again” anxiety.
So, to celebrate this fulfilled, inspired, go with the flow, live in the present moment feeling, I thought I’d share with you what my weekend looked like. And explore a little bit of how I created a weekend that prepared me for the week ahead.
Friday’s have been fabulous in my little world. They have been half work days/half weekend days for me. I begin my Fridays much more slowly than Monday-Thursday. Normally, I leave at 7:45 (equal I get up at 5:45), but on Fridays, since I wake up at about the same time, I have tons more time to do the things I love. So, I make coffee, stretch, light candles, and then get back in bed to write and/or read. This past Friday, I banged out a blog post about the new moon that was this weekend.
Then, I dress + head off to my little group of elders for discussion, story-telling, comforting, and inspiring moments. It’s a long walk to the senior center, so I listen to podcasts + take photos all alone the way. It is about 45 minutes of pure solitary bliss.
After my elder group was over this past Friday, I high-tailed it to the train station and hopped a train to Stockholm. My love was already there for an appointment, so we had planned for me to meet up with her + enjoy an afternoon/evening in the city together.
It was a gorgeous, gorgeous early winter’s day. Wind whipping. Freezing my face + fingers. But, making me feel so alive + awake. The vibe + the pulse of the city… it was just magical.
I wandered the city alone for just a little while, then I met up with my love and we headed to Södermalm, our favorite Stockholm neighborhood. We ducked in + out of stores, getting all the holiday vibes flowing, making a few tiny purchases, and finally settling in at our favorite local brewey’s hole in the wall bar for a cold beer. Because, yes, cold beer anytime.
We drank slowly + chatted + laughed + people watched. And, we finally decided that we’d walk towards the old town to try out a mexican restaurant. Let me tell you, mexican food is not at all mexican food in Sweden. And Lina and I miss it terribly. So, we thought we would give this place a try. Their website looked promising at least.
Darkness had already fallen an hour or so before, at 3 pm, so it felt much later than it was. We wandered through the city streets, both remarking on how the city was so beautiful that it almost hurt.
We excitedly pushed on the door of the restaurant and walked in. We had gotten there before the kitchen opened at 5pm, so we sat down in the funky, fun bar area and ordered a mexican beer. So far, so good. Atmosphere… check!
Soon, time had flown by. I had texted my brother a bit, telling him that we had found a potential place for legit mexican food. And he celebrated with us… being a super lover of mexican food himself. And when we’re together, we always seek out good, authentic mexican food. It’s a thing we do.
Ok, so the rest of the place was fantastic. The food was served in the basement, which was all pimped out in southwestern style. The vibes were fun + authentic + American-Mexican inspired. And the food was spicy and good! A definite place we will visit again!
Saturday was a home day. A cozy, dark home day. I started the day by making a big pot of coffee, in anticipation of consuming large quantities of the black gold. I sat in the dark + silence while it brewed. Just staring out the window. Just sitting. Slowing waking to the day. Setting the tone, I suppose you could say.
Then I lit candles all over the bedroom, climbed back in bed with my piping hot mug and read for a while. My love woke later on to a cozy, dark atmosphere. And, even though the sun rose, it was late + cloudy, so the darkness had settled in for the day.
I read more, wrote some, planned a course/book for 2018, watched a cheesy Christmas movie, napped, ate chili, planned more, wrote more, took photos, and stayed cozy all day long. My love the exact same thing. It was a day of deep, deep rest.
Sunday began early + slowly as well. I wrote + sent out my newsletter, sipped coffee, and then prepared a late breakfast. It also snowed during the morning, making it all the more cozy and wonderful. I felt the holiday spirit within me waking.
After spending some hours cleaning the apartment, I made lunch + then headed to the store to stock up on the essentials. Back home, I baked a pumpkin pie for work. I am providing the pastry for our Tuesday afternoon staff meeting/fika (and I have a meeting Monday night), so since it’s Thanksgiving this week, I thought I’d bring a little American celebration to my Swedish workplace!
Finally, after the pie was done, I made dinner + plopped down on the sofa with my love to watch some Netflix before bed. I was relaxed, satisfied, and felt like I had a complete weekend.
What was different about this weekend, I wonder now? Why do I feel so fulfilled + inspired? I think, perhaps, it is because I had a very balanced weekend. There was action, but in all that I did, I did it slowly, mindfully, and focused only in the present moment. I was able to tap into all the different sides of me: adventure, fun, exotic, contemplative, homebody, introvert, extrovert.
For whatever reason, though, I am grateful. It was a good weekend. A really good one. And, I am looking forward to a good week ahead… which begins in about 10 minutes as I head out the door! (And there is snow on the ground!! Could it be more magical?!).
Warm blessings of peace + gratitude for all of you, lovelies. xoxo. liz.
