weekend – Sweat & Sparkle

Skin Care

I have a co-worker who is in her 30s and who spends a lot of time at my desk, regaling me with tales of her many male suitors, seeking love life advice or just filling me in on her latest adventures. Sometimes I have to ask her to refresh my memory on which fellow she is talking about, and she giggles like I’m senile and have issues remembering, instead of her just having too many gentlemen callers for me to keep up with.

A few days ago, she was at my desk, chattering away, when she suddenly huffed and interrupted her own story to say, “I am almost 20 years younger than you, and I have more wrinkles on my face than you do.” She said it in an accusatory tone, like I was doing something deliberately to affront her.

She ended up asking what I use on my skin, and we got into a whole conversation about skin care. It’s something my mother, from whom I inherited my very fair and easily-sunburned skin, taught me at a young age, and I’m glad I listened. Sunscreen. Sunscreen. Moisturizer. And more sunscreen.

After a long and draining work week, it was a wonderful compliment to hear. I feel tired and worn out, and I know it’s showing on my face, but after her comment, I guess it’s not nearly as bad as I thought.

Still, I will be grateful to leave work today and head home. My husband and I have a busy weekend ahead of us, but it’s still a welcome break from the demands and stressors at work, which have been non-stop this week.

No matter what the weekend brings, I will make time to sit back with a face mask and just relax. Gotta keep impressing these younger co-workers, after all!

Where Did the Weekend Go?

I knew before the weekend even started that it was going to fly by. My husband and I had plans both days, on top of the usual weekend chores, tasks, and to-do lists.

We tried something a little different for date night on Saturday and went on a behind-the-scenes animal feeding tour at a museum nearby with native animal exhibits. We toured the animal food prep kitchen, then got the chance to help feed river otters, cougars, and a black bear. It was awesome! The bear took a biscuit from my hand, and my husband got to feed her a grape, which she took gently, but not without sneaking a lick of his finger to see how he might taste!

On Sunday, I finished a large jewelry order for my online shop, washed and vacuumed my car since I can’t stand a dirty car, vacuumed the house because I also can’t stand a dirty house, then did a quick face mask and hopped into the shower so we could head out to meet one of the kids for dinner. We had a lot of fun and ended up just sitting and talking for a long time, the best kind of conversation: about anything and everything that popped into our heads, serious and funny and everything in between.

When we got home, we stayed up much too late, trying to hold onto the weekend as long as we could. I sat down with my planner to jot down reminders, and this upcoming week is going to be very busy too! Seems like there is something going on each day, besides the obvious: Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays. I can’t wait!

Set the Tone

I’m never particularly happy when the weekend is over, especially a relaxing and peaceful one like we just had. It rained yesterday, and it was wonderful, staying inside, just watching football, cooking, and snuggling with the Husband Guy.

I won’t lie and pretend that I woke up this morning, pumped up and excited to start a Monday morning. But I look at it like this: Monday is going to come, every single week, whether I want it to or not. So shouldn’t I make the best of it?

Five work days are sprawled out in front of me. Today sets the tone for how the rest of the week goes.

I am heading out soon for lunch with a co-worker and friend, and I am looking forward to that. What are you doing today to set the tone for a good week?

Setback

Sometimes life is not exactly cooperative. When I hurt my knee recently, I thought, okay, well, this sucks, but it will heal up. I will take it slower, limp around, and do what I need to do to take care of it.

Just as my knee finally loosened up, and I could walk semi-normally again, I ended up rushing from work to Urgent Care because I didn’t feel good at all. I left with a prescription for antibiotics, which upset my stomach so bad. I just want to curl in a ball and whimper, but alas, I’m at work instead, waiting for quitting time.

I’m excited for some things we have planned next week, so my focus this weekend will be resting and healing so I can be as close to 100% as possible and able to enjoy myself next week. I’m frustrated but also know that a bad attitude will multiply any problems and make things worse.

I’ve made a lot of positive changes and don’t want to slide back into any bad habits. Ultimately, though, that is completely up to me and in my control. I can let these setbacks toss me onto my butt and leave me there, or I can take a breather, remind myself of my goals, and get myself back to healthy so I can come back kicking.