Friday44: Make a Little Room for Friday

The soundtrack for this Friday44
“Hello October” — Bradley McFly
Press play and make a little room for Friday.

Listen on YouTube ↗

October nights. Stadium lights. Good company.

It’s Friday, and for a lot of us, that still means something.

Even after all these years, there is a feeling attached to the end of the week. You close the laptop, step outside or hear a song on the way home, and a little part of you remembers that the evening might have something good in it.

Of course, these days the laptop doesn’t always stay closed. Work comes along on our phones. There are errands to finish, laundry to move and a list of things we were certain we would get done by now. We can spend so much time getting ready for the weekend that Friday itself quietly disappears.

I understand that. At 56, I’m still working, still building and still trying to figure out what the next chapter looks like. Launching The Pacific44 Journal has given me something of my own to put energy into, and I’m excited about where it can go. But it has also reminded me to pay attention to the life I’m writing about. There should be time to enjoy it.

That’s the invitation behind Friday44.

Make a little room for Friday. Give yourself something to look forward to.

A familiar feeling under the lights

October is a good month for that reminder. In some places, there is finally a reason to reach for a jacket. In others, the evening simply becomes comfortable enough to stay outside a little longer. And somewhere nearby, the lights come on over a football field.

There is a whole evening happening around a high school game. The band warming up. People finding their usual seats. Parents looking for a jersey number. Friends catching up near the concession stand. A blanket pulled across two sets of knees as the sun goes down.

Coming from Waterloo, I know how much a school and its people can become part of your identity. Central High School is still part of my story, even though the building and the years belong to another chapter. Getting older hasn’t taken away the feeling of belonging to a place. Sometimes it makes that feeling more important.

You don’t need a child on the field to enjoy an evening like that. You can go because you like the band, because a friend invited you or because you want to spend a little time among people cheering for something together. Check the local schedule, find out what admission costs and see whether there is a night that works for you.

Maybe you stay through the final whistle. Maybe you leave at halftime and stop for something to eat. Either way, you have given the evening a chance to become something you’ll remember.

Your Friday doesn’t have to look like mine

Football might not interest you at all. That leaves plenty of possibilities.

There may be a musician playing somewhere you’ve never stopped. A restaurant you keep saying you’ll try. A neighborhood that looks different when you explore it on foot. Or a friend you’ve been meaning to see for weeks.

Sometimes the whole plan can begin with one sentence: “What are you doing tonight?”

We can make getting together sound like a project. We compare calendars, talk about how busy everybody is and agree that we really need to do something soon. Then soon becomes another month. A simple invitation can move things along: a walk after dinner, dessert at a familiar place or an hour on somebody’s patio.

If you’re going on your own, there is room for you in this idea, too. Take a book somewhere comfortable. Listen to an album you’ve been meaning to spend time with. Go see what’s happening in your community. Enjoying your own company is a perfectly good way to spend a Friday.

Stay home, but make an evening of it

Some weeks, home is exactly where you want to be. I don’t think every good evening requires leaving the house.

You can make a familiar night feel different with a little care. Clear the table. Put on music before you start dinner. Use the glasses you usually save for company. Leave the television off long enough to find out how the other person’s week actually went.

Angie and I have a lot of shared history. We were high school sweethearts, and we have lived enough life since then to know that there is always more to learn about the person beside you. A favorite song can bring up a story. An old photograph can lead to a conversation you haven’t had in years. Even a quiet dinner can give you a chance to catch up with who you are becoming now.

You might ask, “What was the best part of your week?” Or, “Is there somewhere you’d like us to go?” Then listen without trying to finish the conversation between everything else you’re doing.

The answer might be ordinary. Ordinary can be a very good place to begin.

Leave a little room in the plan

When I first shared the Friday44 idea, I used a small budget and a couple of hours as a way to get people thinking. But the part I want to carry forward is the invitation itself. You don’t have to spend money or set a timer to make the evening worthwhile.

We spend plenty of time planning the years ahead. Retirement. Travel. The work we still want to do. The places we hope to live. I’m interested in all of that, and you’ll find those conversations throughout this journal.

I also want some good Fridays along the way.

Evenings when we call the friend, take the walk or say yes to something small. Nights that give us a little more to talk about over coffee the next morning. Time we enjoy while we are still building the life we want.

Some weeks, rest is what you need most. Let it be rest. Other weeks, a small change of scenery or a familiar face might be exactly what you’ve been missing. You get to decide what fits the evening and the energy you have.

You don’t have to make Friday extraordinary. You can simply make a little room to enjoy it.

This week’s Friday44

Before the evening gets away from you, choose one thing you’d genuinely enjoy. Invite someone if you’d like company. Give it a little attention, whether it takes you across town or keeps you right at home.

A game. A walk. A favorite song. Time with someone you love.

What are you looking forward to tonight?

If you have an idea worth sharing, send it our way. A place you enjoyed, a tradition you’ve kept or a simple plan that turned into a good evening. Your Friday might give someone else a reason to make a plan of their own.

Happy Friday, everyone.

Allen S. Robinson
Founder & Publisher | The Pacific44 Journal
The Journey to 60 and Beyond

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