WhaHappen?

peaceful shore

I dread going back to work each Monday. Every Sunday, right around dusk as the weekend draws its last gasps, I get a little melancholy. Why – why must the weekend terminate so painfully? Even though I kinda like my job, it’s the idea that there is definitely someplace better to be than at work all week long, right?

Today I was at the beach. It was 80 degrees in November on the seashore! Hardly anyone there, even the seagulls only sent out a scout or two to forage. So I’m sitting there marveling at the waves licking at my toes thinking: Wow, I could do this everyday. And the breeze whispered into my ear, “Yes we can.” Getting away from the drudgery of worklife is definitely change I WANT to believe in.

But instead what do we do? Each Monday, we drag our arses out of bed at an ungodly hour (for me it’s at 4:10 a.m., because that 10 minutes after the hour allows me to feel like I’m actually sleeping in for 10 more minutes). Does anyone else have an oddly specific alarm time set on their clocks? I mean, even though there’s only an 11 minute difference, I could never set my alarm to 3:59 a.m. That would be the same as getting up at 3 a.m. for god’s sake.

So my point is: work gets in the way of life. Maybe for some people who really LOVE their job and it is their life, they don’t have that constant battle in their head where they have to steel themselves every Sunday night to face the week. So I’m trying to do certain things to feel like I can squeeze in some “living” during the week.

• Go see a movie mid-week or at least rent one and – this is important – pop it in as early in the evening as possible in case it’s a good movie that you replay/analyze in your head, you’ll pay for it when the plots are disturbingly interwoven into your dreams.

• Go out and grab a bite. It doesn’t have to be a big deal. In fact, I prefer to go to a mom-and-pop-type place where I can relax and be casual, especially if I’ve been on good behavior all day at work, such as not talking to co-workers with my mouth full.

• Have the chutzpah to use the foot spa mid-week. A pedicure or an at-home foot spa treat works wonders for the tired soul (sole)… I know – groan. I couldn’t resist. The nail salon won’t be busy and will most likely give really attentive service.

• For more physical and less metrosexual activity, there’s always basketball at a lighted court or a jog around the park.

Anything that you usually save up to do on the weekend, treat yourself well and do it during the week. This frees up your weekend even more. For me, I’m trying to experience my week as if I only belong to my job during the day when I am actually paid to live and breathe it. Once I exit the office, I can be and do whatever makes me happy.

Singing my Monday blues:

• Manic Monday (The Bangles)

It’s just another manic Monday
I wish it were Sunday
‘Cause that’s my funday
My I don’t have to runday
It’s just another manic Monday

• Monday Monday (The Mamas and the Papas)

Every other day, every other day
Every other day of the week is fine, yeah
But whenever Monday comes, but whenever Monday comes
A-you can find me cryin’ all of the time

• It Sure is Monday (Mark Chesnutt)

Well it sure is Monday idn’t it now
I gotta myself through the week somehow
I had a ball Friday, Saturday and Sunday
But it’s all over now and it sure is Monday