An ideal Saturday

I have probably written about this before.  Despite the fact that for 17 years I was involved fulltime in parish work and rarely had a weekend off, during those years I continued looking forward to Friday's arrival just as I had before going to seminary.  I'd laugh at myself and the juxtoposition of those feelings of welcome anticipation and the fact that the hardest days of the week for a priest are Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

And, I remember seeing television shows like "Mad About You" and feeling sad and sort of resentful.  Jamie and Paul sat and drank coffee, read the newspaper in sidewalk cafes or on the front steps of their apartment building.  How did they have time for that and I didn't?  Of course, it was a half hour situation comedy and an idealized view of a couple's daily life.  But still.

Today I got my turn.  Today was what I would call an ideal Saturday.  Tal and I were up early for coffee.  Tal's son arrived for fishing with his dad.  It rained.  I love rainy days.  A good friend and I had lunch in Ridge Spring at Juniper, an amazing local restaurant.  After we'd eaten we wandered through an antique shop.  Then we went to the Art Center of Ridge Spring where we enjoyed a reception honoring watercolorist Gwen Power and where I saw folks I'd not seen in months.

That's what I'm talking about.  Just being -- with no other purpose.  Just being -- letting that be accomplishment enough.

What a good day.