Making Most Of Saturdays

Aashish Mishra

Saturday is the most awaited day of the week for many of us, a day to relax and unwind after a long workweek. Of course, all of us have different ideas of relaxation though. For some, it means idling at home with the family while for others, it means doing activities they do not normally have time for during the week. If you belong to the latter group then this article discusses some fun things to do to make the most of this precious day.

Saturdays are the perfect time to explore the great outdoors. Those of us who can, may want to use the day to go hiking as it will not only provide exercise but allow us to connect with nature and gain a new perspective on our surroundings. Or, we can play sports. Saturdays are a great time to gather a few friends or neighbours and let our inner child loose with football, cricket or badminton. Such physical activities are a great way to bond with old and new people and boost our mood.

But if such intensive physical activities are not for us, we can just take a leisurely bicycle ride around our cities or villages or picnic with friends and family at a local park. The possibilities are endless. Those who live in Kathmandu can casually walk around the city’s historical landmarks and soak in the culture and heritage the capital offers.

Saturdays may also be an occasion to enliven our palates. We can go on a gastronomic adventure, visiting our city’s eateries to try dishes we have never tried before or using unfamiliar ingredients to cook something unique we can boast about on social media. After all, our tummies deserve to have fun on Saturdays too.

We can also try our hand at other creative endeavours like painting, crafting or writing. We do not have to create masterpieces. It is only about keeping ourselves engaged and developing a media for self-expression. 

But, if we feel we cannot do any of the activities mentioned above then perhaps Saturdays would be the best time to learn. These days, thanks to the magic of the internet, all we need to do is check YouTube tutorials or browse Google. Whether it is cooking, dancing, learning a new language and acquiring skills in arts, we can use the weekend to teach ourselves a constructive hobby.

Having said all of this though, it is perfectly okay if we want to spend our Saturdays on our bed. We work hard six days a week, so there is no shame in wanting to do nothing on our one day off. Rest is a perfectly valid need and if sitting on the sofa with a bowl of comfort food while watching TV is what makes us calm and quiet then we have every right to do that.

In fact, lifestyle experts now recommend against going out on Saturdays. Families are encouraged to use Saturdays to spend quality time with each other. It is a day when everyone is at least home at the same time. That should be used to learn about what is going on in our loved ones’ lives and how they have been. Strengthen those bonds with your parents, children or siblings that have started withering due to the pressures of modern life.

We may also Saturdays to bond with ourselves through things like Yoga. If we can, we should devote a few hours every day to Yoga to enhance our mental and physical health. But if that is difficult, we should at least do it once a week. Let the ‘S’ in Saturday stand for self-care.

Similarly, we could also treat ourselves to a spa day at home. It does not have to be anything fancy. A simple bubble bath, a face mask and nail and hair treatments can do wonders in detoxifying our minds and bodies. 

So, as the sun rises on another splendid Saturday today, let us remember that the day before us holds great potential for relaxation, adventure, creativity or connection with loved ones. Saturday, the beloved single-day weekend for us Nepalis, is a blank canvas we can paint anything on. 

It is a day to let our desires and aspirations rise and focus on ourselves rather than the world around us. It is a day that reminds us that we do not always have to be defined by our routines and adventures and that, for 24 hours every week, we are allowed to let go and be free.