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Saturdays and Free Time

3/12/2016

14 Comments

 

Picture
Saturdays

Sunlight awakens you,
Alarms are not allowed –
Not on this day! Oh, no!
Leisurely breakfasts,
Two cups of coffee and
Newspapers read.
 
Dog is fed and
A longer walk –
Perhaps through the park.
Leave the piled-high chores
For the great out-of-doors that
Calls to you, “Come play!”
 
Do what you want,
Do what you can.
Read a book,
Or do something grand!
Run a few errands
Or just stay in bed!
 
It’s your day,
It’s my day….
It’s Saturday!
 
Free Time
 
What do they mean – “free time?”
Can there be such a thing?
Free time is always filled with things to do:
Piles of laundry,
Floors to be mopped,
Flowers to be planted –
Geraniums, petunias, marigolds –  
Bushes to be pruned,
Books to be read,
Things to be said,
Poems to write,
Celebrations to attend.
 
 
Days turn to nights,
Years turn to decades,
Decades turn to lifetimes.
The clock keeps tick-tick-ticking.
Time can’t be wasted,
Yet time can’t be saved.
We spend our days trying to fill
Each unforgiving minute,
And if we do take a moment,
Or a few precious moments
To sit back and really do nothing –
(How do we do that?)
We feel guilty and wonder
Isn’t there something I should be doing?
FREETIME is a rare bird
That flies in another world
Where there are no tick-tocking clocks at all!
 
 


14 Comments
Janice Ewing
3/12/2016 05:18:52 am

I love this poem, especially the ending. Evoking free time as "a rare bird that flies in another world" was powerful, and fit so well with all the references to nature. Perfect for a Saturday morning!

Reply
lynne dorfman link
3/12/2016 11:23:50 am

Thanks, Janice. You brought me back to something in the poem that was not intentional - but yes, the ending works so well - better than I had imagined!

Reply
Adrienne
3/12/2016 05:27:45 am

My "rule" is that Saturday is a no driving day. Of course there are exceptions to this rule, but this is my day to stay home. I do laundry & other household tasks. But mostly, I read, knit and do the things I love to do.

Reply
Aileen Hower link
3/12/2016 05:48:50 am

I get to read books today with my free time Saturday!

Reply
lynne dorfman link
3/12/2016 10:07:04 am

Aileen, you are such a busy person. I am glad to hear you have time to read on Saturday. I hope it is something just for pleasure. You are a dynamo! Thanks for commenting here, my dear friend!

Reply
Shelly
3/12/2016 08:19:35 am

Great poem, Lynne! Free time is rare! But it's so important to make time for yourself.

Reply
lynne dorfman link
3/12/2016 11:26:40 am

You are right, Shelly. I am often guilty of not making enough free time. I think that is why I probably wrote about it. In the back of my mind, I know I need to leave some time just for myself. Thanks for responding.

Reply
Rose
3/12/2016 08:44:27 am

I try not to feel guilty during free time. I think it has gotten easier as I get older and there are fewer household and kid chores. Like the way you relayed passage of time in the Free Time poem.

Reply
lynne dorfman link
3/12/2016 10:10:38 am

Oh, Rosie! I didn't even realize I was conveying the passage of time in this poem! Just what we are writing about in our second ed of Mentor Texts!

Reply
Diane Dougherty link
3/12/2016 09:10:18 am

Nice poem especially considering it's going to be Daylight Savings Time and we LOSE an hour! Who can afford it? Yes, chores do have a way of taking over our time, but we need to find the time for ourselves and for what is important to us,

Reply
lynne dorfman link
3/12/2016 11:28:34 am

Oh, gosh! I forgot about the time change! An hour lost! I am glad we are going out tonight with our husbands. A dinner together is so greatly appreciated!

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arjeha link
3/12/2016 10:17:50 am

Lynne, it seems that many times the persons with the least amount of time have the most free time because they know how to use it.

Saturdays are meant for doing what you want in the time frame you want.

Reply
Tara link
3/12/2016 02:54:00 pm

Saturdays are delicious for just the reasons you wrote about. Hooray for free time!

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Dalila Eckstein link
3/12/2016 09:21:38 pm

Free time. In my mind, this is a manufactured occurrence for adults. Even when I create the space for doing absolutely nothing, except for what I choose for the purpose of sheer pleasure, I am aware of a niggling voice that whispers items from my to-do list. The only time it goes away is on vacation when I'm too far from anything to do the things on my list. I envy children, especially those whom I teach, 8- and 9-year-olds, who have not yet adopted to-do lists as part of their daily lives. I regret that I teach them the concept of planning and listing. It is a facet of life that tugs at us once we learn it. How your writing has me thinking! Thank you!

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    Lynne loves to write in the early morning hours, especially in warm weather when she can sit outside on the patio.  After a walk with her three Welsh Corgis, her mind is cleared and her spirit is inspired by the choir of birds in nearby bushes and trrees. 

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