Balance

I can't help it--weekends throw me off balance. No alarm for early morning wake up, no lunches to be made or school buses to catch, no set schedule to follow.
 
Now, you might argue that this is all good. Everyone can use a little down time, right? The problem, however, is that down time really isn't down time. During the week, there may be lots of expectations-- work and homework to be done, lessons and classes to attend. But on the weekends, there are completely different expectations--home maintenance, quality family time, preparation for the week--and no one gives you a schedule for those. You're just supposed to fit them all in on your own. Which, most weekends, leaves me feeling a little--or a lot--off-balance.
 
If it's a nice day, is it terrible to spend it inside de-cluttering the apartment? If family members want to do different things, do you force "family time"? If you don't do the laundry or the grocery shopping, will people make it through the week dressed and fed? And if you don't wake up to an alarm, will you ever have enough hours in the day to get everything--or anything--done?
 
You see? Weekends might be designed as a respite from the week, but they can really leave a person feeling a little wobbly.
 
How, then, do I find balance? Well, mostly I don't. Mostly, I accept the off-balance, balance the expectations as much as I can, and land on firmer ground (usually with clean clothes and a stocked fridge) by Monday. Have I had extra sleep or some quality family experiences? Maybe. But I consider it a success as long as I haven't completely lost my balance and fallen on my face.