Saturday Musings

I remember growing up how big a deal Saturday was. No school just play and a few chores around the house. We’d be off on our bikes riding to friends or parks or whatever, it didn’t matter. We also had all our baseball and basketball league games on Saturday. I played hundreds of games over the years on Saturdays and my Dad only saw a few. He had to work every Saturday so he couldn’t be there. Of course he would have Wednesday off which I always thought was a weird schedule until years later when I worked with my Father and was on the same schedule. He delivered bread and people wanted fresh bread for the weekends so he delivered on Saturday. This taught me a very important lesson for later in life – Don’t buy your bread on Wednesday.

On Saturday nights we would make popcorn and watch a movie. Choosing the right movie to watch when I was growing up was easy; whatever the network was showing we were watching. Saturday was also date night and so my parents would go out for the evening and we’d have a babysitter or as we got older we would fend for ourselves. Having the house to oneself without parents is a pretty attractive concept for kids. That’s why even now when their mom is away, Grandma will move into the house to make sure things are okay and the guys will comment that it’s like mom never left., duh, that’s the point.

Saturdays used to be so organized. When my boys were younger we were always at a game of something on Saturday like soccer, baseball, basketball. Now because of time and divorce Saturday has evolved and I find that I have two kinds of Saturdays in my life: one with and another without roommates. They are very similar yet very different. Each begins at 6 in the morning. I know many people like to sleep in on the weekends but for me it’s a routine that’s hard to escape.

One Saturday will find me getting ready to play basketball. I’ll be stretching and trying to warm up for a couple of hours of running and jumping and hopefully making a few shots along the way. The alternative Saturday is exactly the same with the exception that I have my sons and I need to wake them up to go with me. On weekends when they are not with me I still see them at the gym. It’s a cool thing and as I have said before on these pages, a blessing to be sure.

After ball, there is always ice on the knees and for my boys there is a nap after breakfast. I myself, usually have little or no appetite after I play. I typically spend the rest of the morning doing laundry, reading school papers or writing. By noon it’s time to get out and about. It’s the car wash, the grocery store, the nail salon (yes I remain true to my metro sexual self) and the bank.

When the boys are with me they have already moved on with their day by noon. Sometimes work, sometimes play and even sometimes homework. When they are doing homework, I will nod as if I know something even if I don’t, like in a “Father Knows Best” episode. Over the years, I have practiced and finely tuned the art of how to nod knowingly and it has served me well. Mostly though Saturdays tend to go quickly and are filled with stuff to do that for some reason can’t be done any other day.

I really like Saturday nights. If out, I know that I can be out late because I can sleep in. When the guys are here, I usually stay home or at least try to beat them home. Sometimes they have their friends over and the house is filled with teens. They tend to laugh a lot and consume a lot too. I usually police the activity by nodding knowingly and making pizza.

And of course the absolute best thing about Saturday is that it is followed by Sunday – a day of rest and gratitude for all of the Saturdays we get to spend here together and a chance to thank God for the privilege of being here at all. And with that said, I know most of you are into a knowing nod of your own. Enjoy.

Gary
From the Book of Szen