All our memories from 2021 now float like bubbles over a quiet sea. Bittersweet — that is how this year has been for most of us, hasn’t it?
This time, the winter in Dubai isn’t very cold. I had all of my winter coats and sweaters dry-cleaned several weeks ago, but still haven’t worn any of them. The evenings are quite pleasant, but not cool enough to wear my favourite teal blue sweater.
One of the best things that transpired this year was the switch in weekends — from Fridays and Saturdays (for some) to Saturdays and Sundays for all. I believe this was decided in order to align us with a common weekend with the world, for more efficient global trade and communication.
Time Flies, Time Flees
I do not know if it is just me, but the time in Dubai flies as quickly as a fleeting thought. Before you know it, Monday and Tuesday play relay with Wednesday and Thursday, as Friday-Saturday pole-vault into Sunday. We are so caught up with work during the week and crave for weekends like we yearn for chilled lemonade on a hot, summer day.
I am someone who loves to plan my agenda on weekends. Should I paint? Should I try learning some new chords on my ukulele? Have a delicious nap? Try a new recipe or the best plan of all, should I do nothing at all? Ah, the joy of doing nothing! Quite frankly, I cannot remember what that feels like, anymore. A classic example is when I decided to do absolutely nothing last Friday.
It was a beautiful, alarm-free sky-blue Friday morning (11AM to be precise). As I was embedded in the sofa, I sensed something — it was my laundry bag — angrily glaring at me. Guilt stricken, I decided to wash the clothes and plopped back on the sofa. Looked to my left, and there was a pile of clothes that screamed, “Fold us!” Ignoring them yet again, immense guilt crawled into my mind like a prowling tiger in the bushes.
Music to the rescue
The best way to wrap up household chores is to play music in the background — it helps me unlearn how mundane these chores can be. Having successfully folded all the clothes, I heaved a sigh of relief. Now, I can finally go back to doing nothing.
Just as I sat myself on the sofa, I heard a sharp, metallic cacophony in the kitchen. I walked into the kitchen to see that the sink was brimming with dishes. One of the bigger vessels had thudded into the small vessels which caused the sound.
How, just how do vessels pile up so instantly? The process of cooking is so joyous, but is inversely proportional to the speed at which dirty dishes play gymnastics in the sink. Fine, I washed the dishes all right. That’s it, no more work.
You guessed it, the exhaustion at this stage was real. I do not even recall when I had fallen asleep on the sofa and to my disbelief, woke up at 7pm. I have to say this — waking up to a dark room after an uncalled nap is a brutal awakening. It is as though the sun is rude enough to disappear without a reminder.
The Chorus of Chores
Anyway, it is safe to admit that planned weekends are no longer helpful. Unless you decide to wake up early, get past all the household chores and have the rest of the day to do what you like. Sounds like a plan, doesn’t it? So far, that has never happened.
You can either kiss all the home chores goodbye and plan an outdoorsy weekend to the beach, the park or to catch up with friends. Or just stay in and devote yourself to doing laundry, dishes, more laundry and more dishes. There is no in between. In a place like Dubai where most youngsters live in a shared accommodation or live by themselves, there truly is no in between.
As happy as I am that the weekend is now a beautiful couple that is Saturday and Sunday, I truly hope that I find the balance — the in-between. Until then, it is a black and white situation. Now that I have almost completed this article, I can finally do nothing. Sigh. Wait a minute, did I forget to dry the clothes that I left in the washing machine yesterday? Oops, I’ll be right back.
Hansika Korivi works in Corporate Communications in Dubai
