Bring Happiness to Your Daily Life

The writer, a senior citizen, came on an eight-week holiday to America. Far away from my home in India, I had doubts whether it would be possible for me to maintain my calm and happy state of mind, which I have been cherishing for many years. However, soon after my arrival I discovered, for me and for persons like me it is possible to live without any basic change in the daily routine. I could design my time and day to fit in with my basic objective of being happy. It proved to be an enlivening and enriching experience preserving the peace I treasured most.

Overcoming the jet lag, daily I get up at 5 a.m. brush my teeth and gulp a glass of cold water. Prayer, followed by reading of scriptures for forty-five minutes, is the next event. I perform my regular physical exercise consisting of various postures of yoga for the next forty minutes. This is done with rhythmic breathing, which tones up the system. Resting for fifteen minutes I go for a long walk at 7 a.m. with my wife, inside the subdivision of Cobb County along the side path enjoying and appreciating the sight of beautiful tall trees skirting the roads, backyard of homes, the colourful gardens and well-laid lawns on either side. To match the distance of four miles which I daily covered in my home land, I go round the cul de sacs in the entire subdivision, walk up to the exit road leading to the highway, return and complete one full round of the subdivision. The weather and breeze add to my pleasant feeling and well - being.

Lesson 6. My Weekend.

Pre-reading

Task 1. Answer the following questions.

1) What is your favourite day of the week? Why?

2) What do you usually do at the weekend?

3) Do you like to spend time with your family at the weekend or not?

Task 2. Rank the following weekend activities from the most important to the least important for you. Justify your answer. Compare your answers with a partner.

Task 3. Read and translate the text given below.

My Weekend

(1) Every weekend is important to my family. During the week we don’t have very much time for each other, but we spend mostly all the time together at the weekend.

(2) On Saturday morning I can sleep more, so I get up later than usual. I get up slowly and try to enjoy every second of my rest. At last I go to the bathroom to trim myself. When the teeth are brushed and the face is washed I come to the kitchen. Breakfast is already cooked by my mother. While we are eating, we discuss our plans for the weekend. But of course, first business, then pleasure.

(3) After breakfast cleaning begins. The washing-up is done by my sister, the carpets are hoovered by my father and linen is ironed by me. At that time Mum is cooking something special for dinner.

(4) We are a very active family, so on Saturdays we tend to enjoy the outside life. We love cycling, running and riding, although I must admit I’m not nature’s greatest horseman. Then there is swimming - just to get rid of all the week’s aggression. In the evening, tired but happy, we have a tasty meal and watch TV in the living-room. Sometimes, when I am in the mood, I go clubbing with my sister.

(5) And Sunday means meeting with family friends and lunch. There are a number of excellent cosy cafes in our town and we would normally meet up with friends in one of them. After a good talk the afternoon is usually turned into a picture of laziness. In the evening my sister, who is a professional pianist, organizes some concerts for us. Meanwhile I have time to arrange everything for the coming week.

(6) Finally I give a big kiss to my parents and go to bed. Another weekend is gone, and I am already looking forward to the next one to be with my family.

Vocabulary