Sunnies not Scaries

The idea for this new blog project began with a personal ritual I started a few months ago. I was being hit hard by the Sunday Scaries - the subtle anxiety or depression that starts to set in late on a Sunday afternoon as the working week looms ever close and the to-do list in your head starts churning out check boxes. In an attempt to slightly curtail the pre-Monday dread, I started actively thinking of what I dubbed "Sunday Sunnies," which were any moments of happiness, things I accomplished, or positive thoughts from the weekend. I started writing these down in a quick list form to help banish the Scaries.

The first sunny Sunday of 2015 | Central Park | April 12, 2015

After a few months of note-taking and a particularly beautiful first weekend of spring in New York, I decided to more actively take control of the time that's mine, and consciously make the most out of the short weekends to help offset the long hours during the week when I, and many, many young adults like me, are wedded to our cubicles, the requests of a manager, or the demands of a client.

In this first year (ten months) since my college graduation, friends have scattered to different cities to begin their careers in faceless office buildings, schools, or edgy startups all over the country. There's no stack of textbooks or library study rooms to worry about on the weekends, so Friday evening through Sunday evening is truly free time, and the perfect window to visit friends, explore a new landmark, or road trip to a whole new city or town for nearly 48 hours. By making the most of most of my weekends (every so often, an 8-hour Netflix binge is all you can do) and keeping track of new places to explore in the future, the Monday to Friday cycle is, I think, a little more manageable and a little more rewarding.

My intent for the blog project is to record my own weekend getaways or hidden gems, both to share new places with my readers and to keep myself from too many Scaries. I'm lucky enough to have traveled pretty well the last several months, so keep an eye out for #throwback posts about Montreal and Seattle and my upcoming trips to Newport, RI and San Diego.

I hope you enjoy my thoughts and journeys, and please share with me your own 2-day tours or local favorites - and keep the Sundays sunny!