Saturday the Chameleon

Saturday 28 November 2009 | general

Another Saturday completed: we repainted the living room in preparation for a complete redecoration.

First and second coats and we’re pretty much done. I admit I’ll miss the yellow.

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K felt it was too bright; I loved the way it made the room open.

Between coats, I mowed and raked some leaves. It was not warm enough to break a sweat, and so it almost didn’t even feel like work. But by most definitions, it was.

In another life, twenty-five to thirty years ago, my Saturdays were supposed to be days of reverence and quiet rest. Saturday is, of course, the seventh day; Jews and a few groups of Christians believe it is the sabbath, a time of rest. There’s something appealing about that to me, even today.

Still, in the intervening years, my associations with and expectations of a good Saturday have literally turned 180 degrees. Just as I couldn’t imagine mowing then, I can’t imagine not spending Saturdays working now.

It makes me wonder what else might flip-flop in my life, and what else has changed without me yet truly noticing.

2 Comments

  1. …wiesz u mnie jest odwrotnie, w Polsce od dziecka, cale zycie spedzalam soboty na sprzataniu domu, pieczeniu ciast na niedziele a teraz od czasu jak jest Szymek spedzamy soboty glownie w terenie i najczesciej odpoczywamy:) Mysle jednak ze gdybym miala dom to cieszylaby mnie praca przy nim, aha i mam nadzieje ze salon wyjdzie bosko , tak jak go sobie od poczatku wyobrazalam;)

  2. There certainly is a lot of pleasure and satisfaction from working on the house. It’s the volume that gets us down sometimes.