The Power of a Weekend (read: We’re Not Doomed)
This past weekend was one of those where you get to Sunday night, look back and realize, “Sheesh! My life ain’t so bad, look at all the amazing things I did!” In fact, I heard someone say on Sunday, “I don’t want it to end!” and I’d agree with that, although if every day could be as awesome as an epic Saturday/Sunday, does it ever actually have to end? Hm…
In any event, the best part about a weekend like this is that it’s a mood and life boost. For me, I sometimes get bogged down by the troubles of the world, specifically as they relate to consumption, waste, and excess. Heck, I get bogged down with my own puny little problems! It can be hard to get out of the negative spiral that says nothing is ever going to get better and we may as well just give up, move to the forest, and never return to civilization again. Thank freaking goodness then, for days filled with so much awesome that I’m practically jetisoned out of the spiral and by Monday, my faith in humanity is restored. I feel inspired, excited, and optimistic all over again. Ahh…it’s a much better feeling.
So without further ado, here are some simple steps you can take to restore your own faith in the survival of our species and planet at large:
- Hang out with friends
- Go to a farmer’s market
- Attend a high-school jazz festival
- Participate in a workshop
- Spruce up your outdoor space
1. Hang with Friends
It’s true that putting ourselves in silos not a good solution for long-term survival: if we try to isolate, we fail. Simple as that. OK, so not always. I will always argue that there are times when we need to spend time alone, offline, reconnecting with ourselves. We spend far too much time connected, engaged, sharing, re-tweeting, snap-chatting, Instagramming, and Facebook-arguing for our own good. However! When we start to spin out on a problem and we let the monkey mind rampage around, bad things happen so…it is good and necessary to connect with our friends and colleagues to gain perspective.
2. Farmer’s Market
There is nothing quite like the energy of a farmer’s market, especially an early-spring version. We’ve all spent the winter begrudgingly buying tasteless produce from far away or going without, and the sign of anything GREEN that was picked or grown locally in a place that experiences pretty intense winters is enough to make us freak out. And indeed, freak out we do…over pea shoots, mustard greens, and nettles (oh my!). It helps when one of your favorite vendors opts to try going plastic-free. Morning Dove Farms, we <3 you! What also helps is stumbling upon a soap vendor offering up delicious-smelling package-free wares and learning a thing or two about proper bar-soap handling (thank you, Terryn!). Really, a farmer’s market becomes so much more than just a place to buy food: it’s a place where we can connect and create community.
3. The Power of Teens
Ah, the power of youth. They help us gain perspective when we need it and they do it unconsciously. On Saturday I joined my friend Nicole at a high-school jazz festival competition here in Kelowna. We were there cheering on her oldest son, who played in one of the bands we saw but as it turns out, we were treated to quite the musical display that day! At $3/ticket, this was probably the cheapest paid event I’ve ever been to, but judging by the musicality we were witness to, you could easily have imagined tickets costing 5x as much. These kids were on fire. As someone who loves playing music, it makes my heart swell to see so many young people actively engaged in this world. I’m telling you: if you need a reminder that we’re not totally f*cked as a species…go to a youth concert.
4. Workshoppin’
I get it: weekends are for getting outside and spending time with friend and family, especially as the spring thaw begins and we can finally do things without massive puffy coats on. So the idea of sitting in a room with no windows on a Saturday afternoon can be enough to make us run screaming in the opposite direction, except when the room is full of people getting us excited about our own ideas. On Saturday, I had the good fortune to participate in a workshop jointly led by Storyhive, Magnify Discovery Lab, and the National Screen Institute. Can’t say yet what film project we’re working on over here, but suffice to say that after this workshop, I’m stoked to dive in.
5. Spring Cleanin’
Spruce up the utility closet, get outside and plant a garden, or participate in a community cleanup: whatever floats your boat, do it and do it with glee! Despite the drizzly weather this weekend, I participated in a community “plogging” effort with November Project Kelowna and my pal Andrea (we tag-teamed a city park, sidewalks, and a small neighborhood near downtown Kelowna) and helped Jan rebuild our raised garden beds. Exercise, the prospect of a garden full of future veggies, and clean streets all in one weekend? What could be better?!
The mark of a great weekend is when Wednesday hits and you realize you’re still riding the wave of optimism that built and build and built from Friday to Sunday. How are you keeping your weekend buzz alive??
