Weekends tend to be when folks unplug from the rest of the world – at least from what they normally consider the rest of the world – and recharge. It’s quite interesting how some folks go out into the world to do this, myself included.
I can remember quite vividly what my weekend traditions were while living in Savannah and how much they changed over the years.
The earliest tradition started well before I became a resident of The Hostess City while I was visiting as a high school student. We’d invade The Express Cafe on Barnard Street near City Market and I’d either have a ham, egg, and cheddar croissant or a Smoked Turkey Rueben with a side pasta salad, an Orangina and a sticky bun. The gang would settle in to read the recent copy of The Local Yokel, whatever Sunday papers we’d been able to find and people-watch through the large picture windows.
After a while, I found that my favorite thing to do involved invading The Gallery Espresso in its former location on Liberty Street for a few minutes or I’d sit camped out on the sofa of my apt. on Gaston St. with the Sunday AJC and the Savannah Morning News.
The day of tradition became Saturday after 2001 and the place of choice became Clary’s Café. There were some mornings that I’d get there at 7:30 a.m. and not leave until after also eating lunch. Afternoons during the fall included trips to friends’ houses to watch football, while the rest of the year involved figuring out how to justify hanging out on Tybee. The weeks that breakfast started late coincided with the monthly visit to my barber, which could be a post unto itself…
I still tend to go out to recharge here in Birmingham; here it’s something about connecting with others without pretense or worrying about being out just to be seen that makes it worth while. The lack of money has led to being deliberate about what I’ve done. For a long time it was a little weird because I’d always met up with people for my weekend escape, but there wasn’t a group to do that with.
Currently Saturdays have become attempting to catch up on my emails and messages in Facebook while connecting to the rest of the world from the corner of okafés! on Birmingham’s Southside. I’ve become a regular (more or less) whenever I’m in town, finding the waves of fellow customers relaxing and comfortable and occasionally talking with them but not necessarily needing to have someone nearby to make the escape complete.
Perhaps it’s that comfort that we’re looking for and maybe I’ve finally found it without the need to seek out others for refuge, though I’m talking with my friends from long ago, using the Internet as the link. Some may find it a habit for a recluse, but maybe the idea of being physically comfortable in our own skin should be more important.
What’s your favorite weekend tradition and how does it help you unwind?
