I had a great time with my daughter, Kayla, and my friend, Tonya, yesterday. We visited two different farmers’ markets.  I just love checking out all the different things people are selling.  Things they’ve grown.  Things they’ve made.

We spent the day driving around the lakes with the top down.  We watched people.  We checked out the beautiful homes.  I have a personal favorite on Lake of the Isles Parkway.  It has this outdoor patio on the corner that’s shaped like a half circle.  There are all kinds of lounging spaces set up, overlooking the lake.  It feels like it belongs in a warmer state or maybe it’s purpose is to bring those climates here…

We also went to the Uptown Cafeteria.  Our plan was to eat on the rooftop.  I have a fear of heights so this is absolutely a stretch for me.  We did go up to the roof and I lived through it all but the wait was longer than we wanted so we ended up eating inside.  We asked them about the “support group” part of their name because we didn’t understand and almost didn’t go there because of it.  The waitress talked about how they were all like a family there and helped each other in any area, rather than sticking to specific roles.  She shared how they wanted people to feel like they were in a place that made them feel good, just by being there.  She talked about the food and how so much of it is good ol’ comfort food.  Burgers, fries, shakes, mac and cheese, sloppy joes…all the stuff that heal those emotional hurts {at least in the moment}.

Before heading home, we stopped at Ben & Jerry’s for an ice cream treat and listened to the young adult girls next to us, one sharing how her grandma used to make these incredible burgers.  She would add egg and crackers and Worcestershire sauce and then cook them up and they were sooooo good.  Tonya and I looked at each other, smiled, and whispered, “Isn’t that just meatloaf in individual patties??”  And then had a brief chuckle about the real possibility that if someone offered her meatloaf, she might say, “gross” and yet, those patties from grandma were so wonderful and one of her fond childhood memories.

I was exhausted when I got home.  All that sunshine and movement was a full day and I had no desire to work.  I had projects that needed to be completed and struggled to stay awake.  AND it was the weekend.  I felt pressure to get to work on those projects, after all, I’m still catching up from the crashes I experienced recently.  But sleep wouldn’t let me.  The day was done.

Thank God for sleep, the teacher in this moment. There is truly nothing like being fully present in a day of fun with family and friends.  There is nothing more beautiful than taking some time for myself, just because.  And because of that, the breaking news is I am not working weekends any more.  I will also be taking time in the evenings for family and friends on a regular basis.  This is a big step for me and long overdue.  I’ll be looking for fun things to do on the weekends that can be done for free or for little money ‘cuz I have  a lot of days to fill.  I’m taking suggestions – got any?