On last week’s Happier podcast, Gretchen and Elizabeth talked about finding a “delight” for each day. In other words, identifying something little that you always enjoy on a Monday, a Tuesday, etc.
I love this idea, but had a little trouble applying it to my own week. There are a couple things that always happen, but there are also a lot of variables. Does my daughter have school? Am I doing a long run? Is there a high school football game, or concert? So this list won’t apply to every week, but here are my “delights” for each day this week:
Monday– I’ll go to the gym before work. Full disclosure- this is NOT a delight. I would much rather run, but I go to the gym to lift weights because I know I have to. The delight is, on gym days I go to Starbucks before work. I sit there with my Earl Grey tea, happily reading blogs for a while. This is my reward for getting myself to the gym!
Tuesday- My daughter has no school! This means I can sleep a little later, woohoo.
Wednesday- This is an “always” delight- I don’t work on Wednesdays. Last Wednesday I had the dentist, the week before I had a doctor’s appointment, and the week before that I had to have blood drawn. This Wednesday I have NOTHING! How will I spend my day? The possibilities are (almost) endless!
Thursday- Typically my least favorite day of the week. This Thursday, there’s a high school football game. It’s our last game of the regular season, and so far we’re undefeated. I’m looking forward to it.
Friday- Another “always.” We have takeout for dinner on Fridays! After the week of dinner battles, this is a tremendous relief.
Saturday- My favorite day of the week! I work, but only from 9-1. On the way home from work, I stop at Starbucks- I get my daughter some sort of fancy drink and I get myself an Earl Grey tea. When I get home I sip my tea while reading Modern Mrs. Darcy. I don’t read her posts during the week- I save them all up for Saturdays after work.
This is a routine that rarely varies… EXCEPT FOR THIS SATURDAY! Instead of going to work I’ll be running a race! It’s a trail race in a park about an hour away from me. Because of an annoying injury over the summer, I’m not as prepared for this race as I would like, but it’s a timed event- you run a 4.3 mile loop as many times as you can/want for 12 hours. I’ll just run as many loops as I’m able to and call it a day. It’s not exactly how I wanted to run this race, but I’m still looking forward to it.
Sunday- This Sunday I’ll be sleeping in, for sure. I expect to be sore and tired after my race, so this will feel extra good. I think the occasion will also call for waffles. Obviously!
Do you have any specific “delights” for certain days of the week?
Top photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash
34 Responses
I enjoyed that episode, too! I am like Gretchen and am definitely a Monday person. I like the start of the week and it helps that I really like my job (for the most part!). I like that fresh start feeling. A lot of my excitement for days of the week has to do with podcasts/shows! On Mondays, I look forward to new BLP and currently reading podcast episodes. On Wednesday I look forward to new Popcast episodes. On Friday a new great British bake off show drops. Beyond there, there is not much of a consistent rhythm to my week, especially now that I travel quite often. The days I travel can shift so that adds to the confusion of ‘what day is this?’ My weekends def have a rhythm, though! Sat is usually library in the am after a run while Phil grocery shops. Sunday is church/Sunday school and swimming lessons. I like how ‘programmed’ our weekends are, especially since being out of the house is best for everyone.
Yes, I didn’t mention that part- are you a Monday or Friday person? I definitely lean towards Friday, but I do get a nice boost on Mondays as well. I also like when new podcasts come out- Rich Roll and SHU’s BLP on Mondays!
I listened to that episode too and thought what a good idea, although my schedule is pretty random usually. We have family dinners on Monday night and takeout on Friday night. Usually running group and breakfast in a cafe afterwards on Saturday.
Takeout on Friday seems to be a popular choice!
I really love this idea and now I’m going to be contemplating how to make my days a little more special in some small way. I don’t really have anything exciting for Monday or Tuesday, but I look forward to Wednesday for the new Survivor episode, Thursday I let myself take a little siesta in the middle of the day for making it through (most of) the work week, Friday is always a special treat day as I usually order takeout for lunch. And the weekends always feel special! So I just need to figure out some small way I can make Mondays and Tuesdays a little more delightful!
I really love your habit of going to the gym and then going to Starbucks to read blogs. That’s so fun!
Yes, I’m going to try to identify something that’s specific to the days I don’t currently have something- or, maybe I should always sit down on Sunday night and identify something that’s making each day special in the coming week.
What a fun idea! I feel like every week is different for me these days, but when I can, I like to take my kids to their Sunday skating lesson so that I can go to open skate with them.
Friday is pizza and movie night at our house- that’s another fun one.
I like how you have routine delights. Sometimes doing the same things over and over can feel like a bit of a rut, but I think it can also be very grounding.
I have to admit I really like routine. I agree it can feel like a rut to some people, but usually for me it’s comforting.
Oh, a daily delight… I love the idea to look for something that makes you happy on a regular basis. Does my daily first cup of coffee in the morning count or does it have to be something different every day? (J/K)
I am currently looking forward to my Monday rest days where I am just doing a little yoga and stretching. It’s a nice change from early morning running the rest of the week.
Well, I’ll allow your coffee as a delight! And- it is really nice to have one day that stands out, like your Monday, when all the rest of the days invole and early workout.
I am one of these people who tries to figure out how the family member’s schedules best fit together – and by the time I feel like I am there, the school year is over. There are no special delights ahead besides the gym sessions (at least if the schedule stays as is). It’s a bit unpredictable but I am sure I will find some delight on the way.
Okay Meike, I hope you do! It is hard when you’re managing everyone else’s schedules- but we moms deserve regular delights too.
This is such a great and mindful way to think about your week.
Loved reading what your delights are.
To me it looks like you have a very solid routine. I need a but more time thinking on it in haw far I have such solid routines and delights.
I agree- taking time to think about things like this helps us be more mindful.
what a lovely idea to capture daily delight. MIne includes Friday work from home, most of the weeks, and weekend naps. 🙂
I’m all about weekend naps!!!
Good luck with your trail race, Jenny! It sounds like the perfect event – as many loops as you want with no time pressure.
It’s definitely the perfect race for me, where I am right now. Luckily it’s not a huge loop of 50 miles or something, where if I quit halfway through I would be stranded in the middle of nowhere! (Oh wait- that was me last February!)
I like Mondays right now because it is a day that most people work so I usually schedule anything that would be busy on the weekends for a Monday or a Tuesday instead. For example, today it is supposed to rain, but I will probably still go for a run or ride, and go grocery shopping! I hate shopping on weekends and try to avoid it at all costs! I may also go and get lunch at some point, since the place I want to try is busy on the weekend!
Yes, that’s why I love having Wednesdays off! I wish everyone could have one weekday off (but not he same day- we would still have to rotate so things aren’t too busy.)
I love the idea of having something to look forward to each day to make it a little more special! This Tuesday, I’m excited to be able to work from home — not because of the election, but there’s road work happening in front of our office that will make parking a pain. Saturday is usually my long run day, and this Saturday I’m actually volunteering to sweep at a trail race, so I’ll be picking up trash and race markers, but also getting in a run at the same time, and earning future race credits too! And I’m off work next Monday, so I have a long weekend to look forward to!
Ooh, those are some good things! Sweeping a race sounds fun- I’ve never done that but it would be a good volunteer spot.
A daily delight sounds… delightful!
I’m always wary of Mondays = X type things, because then it becomes part of a routine; but having something to look forward to is also nice! I like your Earl Grey days!
High School can be a lot of work for the whole family–it was that way with my older kid; hang in there!
Thank you Maya! It’s funny you say that- high school is a surprising amount of work. i’m lucky that my kids weren’t in high school at the same time, although I guess they also would have been doing a lot of the same activities together.
Ooooh, I am going to listen to this episode when I tale a lunchtime walk in the rain today– I am excited to find delights. I like how most of yours are naturally occurring in your normal days 🙂
I like the idea of a lunchtime walk… not sure about the rain part! : ) I hope you like the episode.
I love this as a concept, Jenny! I’m in that season of life where life is so caught up in my daughter’s routines – drama (class) Mondays, long dance Tuesdays, short dance Wed, hip hop Thurs, rehearsal Fri, etc. – that I’m trying to focus on something joyful (or delightful!) or helpful I can bake into each day for me. It’s wild to say, but it’s easier to be drive my girl around and color code her calendar vs. take an intentional bit of time for myself, but I’m working on it! So far, I have a fun tea and treat on Fridays and go to the library during my lunch on Mondays…
Lindsay, your daughter’s schedule keeps you insanely busy!!! I feel like my daughter is busy, but it’s not that busy (and most of her activities are at the school, so that’s easier.) I definitely hope you can find some joys for yourself- I know it can be hard.
I haven’t listened to Happier in years, but this episode sounds like something right “up my alley.” I love the idea of having specific delights for each day. I kinda feel like every day I have coffee that first sip is a delight. I’m not sure if I have a predictable enough routine to come up with a specific delights for every day? Saturday night is at-home date night with my husband and I love that. Sunday is church and that’s a delight. The rest tend to fluctuate. Though I definitely find delight in every day, it would be nice to schedule in some more routine delights to anticipate each week!
I am so excited for your trail run. I know that pesky calf was a total bugger with the training, but I’m proud of you for coming through to the other side and can’t wait to hear all the details. At the very least, I feel confident you’ll come home with some interesting stories about other runners! Maybe you’ll spot someone running in blue jeans again – ha!
Ha Elisabeth, or maybe I’ll encounter Dr. Pepper guy again.
I felt the same way- it was hard for me to come up with a specific delight that ALWAYS occurs on each day, but I did manage to find a few.
I love the concept of this post! I almost stole it this morning, but then I was like, umm I can’t think of specific things for this week. HA. Guess I’ll have to try a more optimistic week! hehe. Also, I love the idea of “saving” a specific blog post and then sitting and reading them all at a certain time. I should consider doing this for certain blogs, especially ones that are a little longer form and could be nice to “plan ahead” and sit and savor, vs trying to squeeze into little bits of time, like I often do my regular blog reading.
It is nice to have thos blog posts to look forward to. I agree I don’t like to rush through blog reading but on the other hand I don’t want to save up posts from the blogs I comment on- I want to stay current with those. It’s tricky.
I hope you can find an “optimistic” week of delights soon!
I love this, and I’ll be thinking of you running for 12 hours straight on Saturday! (I know that’s not what you’re doing, but I’m going to imagine it anyway.)
Mondays, my daughter cooks dinner. I love that.
Fridays, we go out for dinner. And starting this Friday, I have a quick volunteer gig helping out with a kitten rescue.
Saturdays and Sundays my husband cooks.
Do I have special things that happen every week for Tues – Thurs? I don’t think so. Every day I look forward to my yoga and my walk before work, and now that we’re off of DST, it’s not dark when I go out, which is really nice.
I like the idea of something fun to look forward to each day. My favorite podcasts drop on Tuesday and Wednesday which is always a small delight. I will have to think of things for the other days.