Эссе на тему: "My weekend"

I have always been wondering what the word “the day off” means. If we can do what we really want to do only once a week and fail to find any time for our hobbies during the other six days of the week, it means there is something wrong with time planning. We often repeat proverbs like “The busiest men find the most time” which has similar meaning to the proverb “Idle people have the least leisure”. I don’t think that applies to me.  It is still difficult to find a minute to spare on week days. It seems to me that if we really value our time, we can always find at least half an hour a day for our favorite occupations. Unfortunately, I am unable to do this myself and always look forward to my weekend.
Modern life is dynamic and active. We work under stressful conditions, try to keep pace with all the necessary duties. Sometimes it can be exhausting. People start each working week with the hope for the coming weekend. Even those who love their work, need a peaceful break. Weekends are the time for relaxation, entertainment and recreation. My everyday life is usually monotonous and difficult, so I always wait for Saturdays and Sundays.
People spend their days off in different ways. Some of them prefer to stay at home and read a book or visit an art exhibition, a museum or a sport event. In the evening, as a rule, they go to a theatre or to see their friends. Other people prefer to spend their days off out of town.
Weekends are the best time to relax, unwind and enjoy time with your friends and family. There is a big choice of opportunities to spend a weekend.
Some people are introverts; they prefer to be left to themselves, while others crave for company for any activity. If you are the former, you may enjoy reading, writing, exercising, enjoying an occasional movie by yourself, cooking, collecting newspaper cuttings of “sensational stories”, philately, art exhibits, or more. At last you can catch up on series or TV shows you’re behind on. You can go see a film you’ve been meaning to watch, see a live band – or just relax with your favorite music playing in your ears. One or more of these give you a feeling of great contentment.
As for hobbies you haven’t time on during the week days you can get inspired to draw, paint, or craft, start a blog, try a new recipe – cook a meal for your friends or family. No matter how much of a workaholic or a self-proclaimed stone-hearted person you feel you are, there must be something you enjoy doing, besides work. Reading books, writing journals or short stories/poems help you develop your observation and people-acquainting skills.
If you are an extrovert, you can gather a group of your friends, go out to a restaurant and try a new dish you’ve been meaning to, for a long time, or else go to catch a play or a movie, take a long drive, or more. Somebody can spend a day at a nearby beach, go for a picnic – pack an awesome lunch. There is a chance to go out for a few drinks with old friends. You will create some happy memories for yourself to look back later.
Sometimes you just need to go somewhere, change your environment, and meet new people. You can take a short trip somewhere around the country or even abroad.
Small but regular journeys are available almost to everyone, and the positive effects they can have on your mental condition and your ability to cope with difficulties are as significant.
Of course, I am not saying the easiest way to feel better is to escape from problems; I rather mean that taking a break, allowing yourself to breathe in some fresh air can give you a new perspective, or at least distract your mind from ruminating on the same situation over and over again. Having a good rest is a necessary condition of any recovery, and your mind definitely needs rest from time to time.
Speaking of new perspectives, when travelling, you will inevitably meet a lot of new people. Some of them will become friends of yours, some will remain strangers. Regardless of whether you prefer hotels or hostels, hitchhiking or airplanes, tropical resorts or ancient European towns, you will be always surrounded by people.  Every new experience, every impression you have is a gateway to the present moment—and this moment can be what you need to recover from a long period of stress and loss.
Most of it depends on what kind of person you are, your work, and background. However, there are common principles across all ages and likes and dislikes. I am sure that you should devote your weekend time to non-work activities. Bringing work home from the weekend is usually a sign of stress or mismanagement unless you are a workaholic by nature.
I belong to the category of people who never planned a weekend. Most of my days off are a surprise. Unfortunately, my weekend is too short, so I do my best to make it exciting.
I cannot say that I am a heavy sleeper but as I get very tired during the week I let myself sleep a little longer at the weekend. Usually in the morning on Sundays as I sleep a bit longer I have neither breakfast nor lunch but brunch. After brunch I do the washing up and then do the flat. As a rule, it takes me about an hour and a half as I have only two rooms. I do not need to go shopping on Sunday as I do it on Saturday. We can’t neglect our household chores. It is useful to divide most of our boring, not-fun household work into two halves, and devote each half for every alternate weekend. For example, laundry and ironing can be done in one weekend, while cleaning may be done during in the other weekend. The above tasks can take up to a maximum of 2 hours or so, and then you’re free to do what you please! So, after twelve o’clock I am free to do whatever I like.
As for me I also like to spend my days off in the country. I go in for sports. Sometimes I play football with my friend. Sometimes I go to the tennis court and play tennis for about two hours. I have been playing tennis since my early childhood and I can say that it helps me relax and feel well during the whole week. On my way home, I usually drop in at the confectionery and buy a cherry cake because my family is used to having something tasty for dinner.
Sunday is the only day when we have dinner together. That is one of the reasons why I like Sundays. Most importantly, do not neglect your family, specially parents. You should spend time with them, discuss each other’s’ lives. Your parents are wiser than you, and even though generations change, some things in life remain the same. Love and respect your parents, spend time before it is too late.
Living in the city is hard, even for those who were born in the industrialized environment of crowded streets, huge supermarkets, crammed subways, and polluting factories.  I love the city, but sometimes it becomes too much, and I have to escape from the noise to free my mind from all the routine worries, to clear my thoughts, and remind myself that despite how difficult and challenging life can get, I still have to enjoy the road along the way to success while achieving my dreams. Everyone needs from time to time to take a break from the crazy pace of city’s lifestyle. When I ask myself where the best place to do that the answer is our park.
All of us like nature and are fond of walking. Sometimes after dinner we go to the park which is near our house. It is very pleasant to walk there. We enjoy the fresh air and the beautiful scenery around us. While walking we usually discuss the books we have read, the films we have watched recently and ask each other a lot of questions about our life, work and studies. After coming home, I can spend some time with my parents either watching TV or playing different games with my brother.
Sometimes I get a girlfriend and show her around your city or town. Point is, spend some quality time together. It is a chance to cook a romantic meal or take her for a hike or any place in and around town where we both can spend time and get to know each other more.
I try to find a minute to learn a new language. This skill never goes out of fashion and is immensely helpful at some point in time.
In the evening I read books. It is a disappointment that people read books less often in these days of widespread technological reliance. Books were the primary source of intellectual entertainment just a hundred years ago, but with the invention of radio, television, cinematography, and most recently, the Internet and computer games, it seems that reading books is no longer a popular leisure activity. However, I believe that books are an irreplaceable part of our lives, and the role that masterfully-written books play in the personal growth and development of a particular person throughout one’s life is a remarkable one. Books directly expand our consciousness of how we live and where we live, enrich our power to express ourselves, and supply us with inspiration in a way that other mediums cannot compete with.
Books expand our knowledge and conception of the world around us. One may argue that films and TV documentaries do that too, but I believe that books are a much better alternative, since they allow each reader to experience the same story using one’s own imagination. 
Last but not the least, you always should remember that a good weekend helps you stay fresh for the coming Monday. The moment you look forward to both weekdays and weekends in equal measure, is when you’ve learned to balance both professional and personal life.
As for me, I like weekends and holidays, as most other people. And I like telling about my holidays. Every working day looks like another, but every weekend is different from the other. During the weekend we have an opportunity to enjoy the life and having rest. Saturdays and Sundays are my favorite days of the week because these are the days of rest when I can do all pleasant things I have dreamt about during the week.