I was reminded last weekend of how important it is to have days that don’t follow an itinerary. My days are so often filled with schedules, deadlines, and checklists that I often forget to just enjoy myself. I love making lists, and I love itineraries. I crave structure. Although, sometimes, this desire for structure does me more harm than good. Being married to one of the planet’s most laid back people sometimes drives me nuts, but has been oh so good for me. He often (unintentionally) forces me to chill out a bit. He has helped me to see that sometimes, some of the best days are days spent without any plans at all. I am finding myself with more days like this, and I must admit, I quite like it. So, this Saturday, we decided to make a repeat of the last, minus the three-hour drive to Vermont. We put our to do lists aside and set off to enjoy each others company and the pristine weather that the day had to offer.
We started our day at a local coffee shop in Cambridge. The hubs enjoyed a black coffee, while I ventured out trying a Taza Mexican Hot Chocolate. Made with Chipotle Chili chocolate, this drink isn’t for the faint of heart. Though, I found it quite delicious.
After our mid-morning pick-me-up and a few miscellaneous errands, we made our way to a nearby falafel shop for a bit of lunch. Actually, a bit is an understatement. My small falafel sandwich was way more food than I bargained for. With a bar full of toppings, I had a hard time containing myself. And the best part of the meal? The Belgian fries and array of dipping sauces. I don’t eat fries often, but I must admit to having a weakness for Belgian fries. An afternoon stop in Brussels is on our itinerary while in Europe, solely for the fries, chocolate, waffles, and beer…
We burned off a few calories after lunch by doing a bit of window shopping and thrift store browsing. Finding nothing we couldn’t live without, we moved on.
Though most of our day was relatively unstructured, we did have a few things in mind that we wanted to do. Visiting this massive, five-story antique market was one. We wandered the aisles for hours, and lusted over many things. The hubs lingered around the books, while I set off in search for one-of-a-kind decor pieces.
Feeling groggy from a long day and from hours inside, we decided to move on to something a bit more active. One thing that we had yet to mark off of our New England to do list was a trip to the ice skating rink. Not just any rink, but an outdoor rink. We waited a little too long last year and didn’t make it before the weather turned unseasonably warm. As neither of us had touched a pair of skates in at least three years (and probably 10 years before that), it was quite the experience. Although, we picked it back up pretty quickly and were soon ready to call it quits. It was fun while it lasted, but who really needs more than 30 minutes to skate around in circles?
We ended our day with one last adventure and experienced Ethiopian cuisine for the first time. We filled our bellies with honey wine, lamb, and various vegetables and lentils before calling it a day. While I found the flavor great, I don’t think that I will be craving Ethiopian food again any time soon. I like a nice bit of variety in the texture of my food. This is something that our meal just did not offer.
I quite enjoy the routine that we’ve fallen into these past few weekends. Realistically, I know that every weekend can’t be spent this way, but sometimes, simple days like this are a necessity.
What did you do this weekend? Were you able to spend it relaxing and doing something fun?
The Daily Doss 