Every other day, every other day,
Every other day of the week is fine, yeahBut whenever Monday comes, but whenever Monday comes
You can find me cryin' all of the time
These melancholy lyrics sung wistfully by the Mamas and the Papas ring oh so true for many people. But do they have to? Are Mondays truly awful or are they awful because we have a pre-conceived notion that they will be awful and so they live up to our expectations?
A few weeks ago, I went to my boot camp class at the Y. During the cool down, the instructor was playing a song about the weekend and she apologetically said, "Oh, this isn't fair, I shouldn't be talking about the weekend on a Monday night." To which I replied, "Why not? We need to learn to appreciate Mondays. For one thing, we get to take boot camp." And no, I wasn't sucking up. I meant what I said.
Ever since reading Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth, I have been trying to live in the moment...to appreciate the now and not worry about the tomorrow, or pine about the past. Believe me, it's not always easy, and I often fall short but I keep on trying because I know that it's the true path to living a joy-filled life. If we wish away our Mondays, then we are missing out on one-seventh of our lives. Many magical things can happen on a Monday, or any day of the week, if we only open our awareness to them. If you find that your work week is something that has to be agonizingly endured until you reach your weekend nirvana, then it might be a good idea to reassess your life and your goals and to make some changes.
A good way to foster this attitude is to approach every day with the thought, "What is one thing I can look forward to today? What is one good thing about this day?" It can be as simple as indulging in your favorite dessert, curling up with a good book, or chatting with a friend. I'm sure that most of you do these things already but the change comes when we develop an appreciation for these every day moments. Fostering this attitude will create a shift in you so that you will be in a "weekend state of mind" every day of the week.
Deb, thanks for making my day! I love this article and it makes me really miss working with you. You are always so sunny and upbeat...I will think of you and this article come Sunday night as I'm feeling sad about being away from my family for the week.
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