When I worked in a corporate office, I loathed the Friday afternoons of summer. There I was stuck in an office– no windows, no playful adventures, the ping of irrelevant and often unnecessary emails clogging my intake channels — cubicle living at its un-finest.
I wanted desperately to begin my weekend. I found the last hour of the day, the worst— as it was like someone pushed time’s hourglass on its side and time paused indefinitely.
For me, the weekend meant a break from all the rules of the workweek. The rules of routines, schedules, time in/time out, meetings, follow ups, to-do lists, people to please, the lists of shoulds and have-tos that never ceased to end.
I was exhausted by someone else’s rules.
I craved freedom.
Freedom to play at my own pace — sleeping until my body gently wakes me up, meandering through a meal without watching the clock for when I had to be back to work, moving my body went it felt the urge to explore a new trail or go biking with a friend, honoring the rhythms of rest and play (and yes, play includes work).
There was the possibility of freedom in those Friday afternoons– when the whole weekend stretched out before me like a deserted beach waiting to be explored.
Unfortunately back then, I believed I had to cram all of my freedom into my weekend because my week felt pretty much like shackles-on all week.
These days I rarely schedule anything on my Fridays at 4 o’clock. It has become a sacred hour that honors the changes I’ve made in the way I live, play and work in the world.
Funny thing though was when I checked my calendar this week, I had a meeting set up for 4 pm Friday afternoon. A meeting I am so excited to be a part of—that it feels like living at its finest.
The difference for me?
First is accountability to myself that everything I do is a choice (including the corporate job and its requirements) and secondly, when I choose things that feel like play, the work gets even better.
So, my lovebugs— permission to find your freedom in your choices. And permission to change your choices if they don’t feel like freedom.