The Weekend Has Landed!!

For most of us, as the time slowly runs out on another working week, thoughts inevitably start to turn to those upcoming 60-odd hours off from the world that is more commonly known as The Weekend.

Whether it is a quiet, relaxing time spent with friends and family, a romantic break with your loved one, or a non-stop hedonistic, alcohol and drug-filled escape from planet reality, we all start looking forward to that escape from the rigours of work, almost before the dust has settled on the previous weekend.

Perhaps you’re going to use the opportunity to do some shopping, fix some shelves, read a book, climb up a mountain, jump in a lake, I don’t know - but the fact is that The Weekend is a time that should be filled with what you want to do – not what somebody else tells you to do. Of course, those of us with family’s, partners, or other commitments may find yourself with certain compromises to make, but to all intents and purposes The Weekend is a time for relaxing – a recharge of life’s batteries, if you will - in whatever form that may take.

On this occasion, as I consult my social calendar, I see that this weekend has nothing to offer me, save for the no-small-matter of Liverpool v The Scum (otherwise known as Manchester United) to be played out at Sunday lunchtime.

In the past, this kind of vacant whole in my social life, a weekend with absolutely nothing planned, would have filled me with something akin to holy terror. A nervous sweat would have swept over me as I pondered a weekend where I did not have some party or other to go to, some dirty decadence to involve myself with, or at the very least a weekend full of romantic liaisons.

Not so, the ‘new’ me.

For you see folks, after several years of burning the candles at both ends, being the last one standing at a party or the last one to leave the pub - something which is easier said than done, in a country such as Belgium with 24-drinking a very real possibility, I now find that the prospect of having nothing to do this weekend an absolute Godsend and I really cannot wait….for nothing to happen.

So what has brought upon this massive change in my psyche?

Am I getting wiser? Debatable. Am I getting older? Most definitely. Have I stopped partying? No of course not - there’ll always be a bit of an animal in me when it comes down to that – and long may that continue.

I suppose, put quite simply, I have had enough.

Now I realise that most of you don’t know me personally, in spite of the fact that I pour my heart out to you, the readers of this blog, on a (somewhat) regular basis – but take my word for it - for me to make such a bold statement has taken quite an effort. Some would say years of effort (Hello Mum).

It’s like a switch has gone in my head. I no longer need the party lifestyle to be happy - at least not to the extent that I have in the past.

And what about the romantic side of things? I (don’t) hear you ask.

Well, readers – that’s a strange thing as well. My love-life recently has been anything but wonderful for several reasons, none of which I’ll bother you with - but to be absolutely honest, I’m OK with that as well – which is another rather bizarre admission for a guy like myself, who often regarded not having a girlfriend as some sort of affliction.

Like most people my age I suppose I look back on my adult life with many conflicting emotions – pride, shame, happiness, sadness, embarrassment, regret – they’re all there.

It sounds clichéd but I’ve been fortunate enough to experience things that I would never even have dreamed about as a kid and I will always be grateful for the privileged position I have found myself in throughout these years. Perhaps I’m being greedy but I would like for some more of the same please over the next 15 a well.

The point is that the one thing I would say about my life so far is that I’ve enjoyed myself along the way. Certainly the one positive thing at any rate. Failed relationships, wasted career opportunities, stupid business decisions, are all blots on the landscape of my past 15 years but for the most part, I’ve went through life with a smile on my face.

In fact, should I ever get bored of enjoying myself, and end up going to meet my maker, it would certainly be a fitting epitaph. The problem is, however, that I’ve been enjoying myself to such a reckless and impulsive degree on occasion that people close to me have suffered. As have I.

I’ve carried out things on a whim and worried about the consequences later. Fine behaviour for some, especially with youth on their side but I’m 33 years old now and perhaps need to be a little bit more sensible in my approach to things and life in general.

And I suppose that’s what it boils down to really - becoming a bit more sensible. It’s perhaps taken me longer than most to reach this state of “inner-sensibleness” or whatever you’d like to call it, but there is no doubt in my mind that destination sensible is the only way forward.

There was no defining moment in the life of your humble scribe, no single event to make me wake up and smell the coffee, no flash of inspiration to steer me off the path to self-destruction that I was surely running head first along.

But it’s happened and I’m embracing it. Sure of course I want to settle down, maybe have kids some day soon but if that doesn’t happen, I’m not going to worry too much about that either.

Perhaps I’m just bored with Belgium, which would be a bit ironic considering the title of this blog was in itself meant to be ironic. Perhaps a change of scenery would re-awaken the “beast that lies within” but I very much doubt it. The beast is still there, all be it a more controlled, focussed one – one with a bit of will power.

I’ve not completely changed overnight – I don’t think anyone can – it’s just all about prioritising things in your life. For the first time in a few years, I’m enjoying my work – which more than compensates for the quieter social life.

In the past, on a night out, I would have flogged a dead horse, kicked it around a few times just to make sure, and administered mouth to mouth resuscitation to it - anything to keep the party going. Now I really couldn’t give a fiddler’s, flying, fuck.

Anyway, having said all that – enough of the sensible stuff – I certainly don’t want to put anyone on a downer before the weekend starts. In fact, this ‘bloggette’ was supposed to send out a message of positivism, although re-reading the words, I’m not really sure that that’s what it comes across as.

I reckon that I’ve got about 2 and a half hours to go, the sun is shining and I’ve got a hot date this evening with my couch, a glass or two of wine, chilled music and a good book.

I can’t wait.

If anyone wants to get in touch with me – tough – I’ll have the phone switched off.

Of course, come Sunday lunchtime and things will take on a slightly different hue. Let’s hope Liverpool continue their return to the upper echelons of world football with a timely first win over the old enemy since 2001.

Have a good weekend folks!

“The Sensible One”

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