Perhaps everyone looks forward to Saturday evenings. Almost all of us look forward to a weekend of respite and leisure following a week of hard labour and stress. It is the ultimate time to unwind. It is the time to take stock of a situation and recuperate. It is the time to indulge. It is the time to coalesce and have a get-together. In a nutshell, it is the time to heal and have fun.
Saturday evenings anticipate a number of leisure activities: watching a movie, going for a weekend party or a quiet dinner, a fling at the discotheque, a visit to a festival or a fair, a quiet trip to some village or country resort, going for a long drive, visiting a friend or even being alone with a refreshing book with your favourite music playing in the background… the list of leisure activities is endless.
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It varies from person to person, in tune with their temperament and various likes and dislikes. We all look forward to our weekend binges. For most, the evening of merriment extends right through the night. Yet one must be careful that weekend leisure should be fruitful and effective and not a dissipative and stressful one.
In sharp contrast to Saturday evenings, Monday mornings are symbolic of looking forward to a week of labour. What is the mood or feeling on Monday mornings? For students like us, it varies. It depends on the first class of the day. The teacher who takes the first period is significant. The reminder of the burden of homework makes one very depressed. All these are important factors in shaping the mood on Monday mornings.
There was a very humorous English teacher who made our Monday morning composition classes very interesting. It was the right prelude to be initiated into the week. In the ninth standard, however, the first class on Monday was taken by a Chemistry teacher who made the class extremely drab and monotonous. Consequently, we never looked forward to the class early in the morning.
Saturday evenings and Monday mornings provide a sharp contrast indeed as far as our moods are concerned. One can’t generalise, but the stereotypes of Saturday evenings and Monday mornings are well-rooted in our minds. Consciously or unconsciously, we try to adjust our routines accordingly. Enjoyment also involves a great deal of stress, hence quite conveniently, Sunday is there as a backup to relax and prepare for the coming week. Sandwiched between Saturday and Monday, Sunday is actually the day to recuperate and take stock of any given situation.
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Sunday, more or less, acts like a buffer or catalyst between the much coveted Saturday evenings and the indolent Monday mornings. Sometimes the lethargy of a Sunday tends to spill over onto Monday mornings. That accounts for the laziness, fatigue and reluctance to take on the week. But we inevitably take it on, looking forward to the next Saturday evening to arrive and recharge us for the Monday morning ahead.
