By Adam Stewart
From the Newsroom
Most of the time, I like reporting the news. I like getting out and talking to people about what they have going on. There’s usually a lot more good stuff happening than most people realize.
But after I woke up, fed the cat, and had breakfast today (Monday), I really wanted a day off. There wasn’t anything on my to-do list that I was dreading, except maybe for writing this column. I wasn’t sick, or stressed, or worried about anything at work. I was just that tired, because I really overdid it this weekend.
The weekend started easy enough, with Michelle and I treating ourselves to a nice dinner out to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary. Saturday morning saw us tackle a manageable amount of housework. A little bit heavier cleaning than the typical weekend, but nothing straining.
Saturday afternoon was where things started to really push things. I went for a walk to enjoy the warm weather, which would have been fine on its own, but mid-afternoon I saw a message in the group chat for the local Magic: The Gathering community asking for help loading stuff out of Game On as they moved out of the mall.
I had time, and the Game On folks do a lot for tabletop gamers in Hutch, so I decided to chip in. Fortunately, they ended up with a group of more than a dozen people loading shelving out, onto a moving truck, and finally into a storage container. Many hands make lighter work, but it was still the best workout I’ve gotten in a good while. My mistake was trying to keep up with all the younger volunteers. I know I don’t bounce back as quickly as when I was younger, but I sometimes forget that.
That night, I went to the Magic game night, but I was tired enough I couldn’t stay real long, which should have been my warning sign that I’d overdone it that afternoon. I wasn’t meaningfully sore when I woke up Sunday morning, which honestly surprised me, but my legs were tired from moving shelves on Saturday.
Still, we cleaned up our yard, including the first mow of the season and fit in grocery shopping before Michelle’s third-annual tea party with family and friends in our living room—the reason for the extra housework Saturday morning. I greeted guests before retreating to my home office. By the time the party was over and we’d made dinner and put away leftovers, the weekend was practically over, and I was more tired than when I’d left The Tribune’s office Friday evening.
I’m glad I did the things I did over the weekend, but I wish I had found some more time to actively rest. I’m terrible at napping and have been for as long as I can remember. I just can’t get to sleep unless I’m planning to sleep through the night. But lying down, letting my mind wander, and ideally snuggling with our cat Minnie on Sunday during the tea party would have been a lot of help.
My weekend was satisfying, but it wasn’t restful, and that’s why I need a weekend from my weekend.
Adam Stewart is the assistant news editor of The Hutchinson Tribune. He can be reached at adam@hutchtribune.com.