A FRIEND of mine recently posted about her dilemma of wanting to go out somewhere for Holy Week but not having the budget to do so. To some extent, I can relate, because there’s nothing like reflecting on life and taking a break after four or five plates of an all-you-can-eat buffet. Right, guys?
I’m kidding, of course. Please don’t take it too seriously.
It was the first time in a long time when we had an extended staycation at home instead of going somewhere for Holy Week. It wasn’t better or worse than previous years; it was just different. For whatever reason, we just found ourselves watching campy direct-to-DVD movies and worrying about whether we had enough ice cream in stock. Not a bad way to spend the long weekend.
Having a staycation was certainly a welcome breath of fresh air. I mean, I love to travel, but, as every jetsetter will say, behind every IG post is a harried, concerted effort to stick to a tightly-packed schedule. I do remember the memories I made along the way, but there are unpleasant parts of traveling that I certainly don’t want to deal with on a regular basis. This staycation was the first in a while where we literally had nothing planned and had to ask each other “what do you want to do?” every 30 minutes or so, going into “standby mode” as computers do.
It was weird because suddenly we were shooting the breeze and communicating with one another—as good families are supposed to do, I guess—and it didn’t feel forced or cringy in any way. We were decompressing in the realest sense.
It’s ironic how sometimes we plan out “time off” and then proceed to fill that time with as many activities as we can. Then, we wonder why we trudge back to work or real life even more tired than usual.
My main takeaway for last week was that it’s perfectly okay to do nothing every now and then. Since we’re into Holy Week, didn’t Jesus Himself take time to be secluded and away from the crowds? For all we know, Jesus might be shocked with the amount of things we stuff our schedules with. So don’t feel guilty when all you do is Netflix and chill—with none of the implications that come with that statement. Contrary to popular belief, we don’t have to be always on the go.
How was your Holy Week?