Mondays

Mondays are my favorite day of the week. It’s probably due to the fact that I work from home. I distinctly remember hating Mondays (and Sundays from about 4 pm on) when I was a student and then when I worked in an office. But ever since I started working from home, I love Mondays. The house settles down, it’s quiet and I can get back into my routine.

It’s not that I don’t love my family. I do. And I love spending time with them doing things on the weekend I don’t normally do on during the week. But I crave my routine and my me-time, and Mondays give those things back to me. So my Sunday evenings are spent mentally planning my productivity for the next day.

In fact, yesterday, I took an exceptionally slow day and didn’t worry about getting anything done. I wanted to relax, everyone else was busy, and I figured that a day of relaxation was good for me. I could just be extra productive on Monday.

And then life happened. My youngest has been lactose intolerant, but without symptoms, for years now. And last night, she decided to try a meal she hadn’t had in a really long time. She asked me if I thought it would be okay, and I stupidly said yes. She’d had all the components before without incident. And she did great for about two hours. And then she most certainly did not do great.

I won’t go into details, but we were both up most of the night. This morning, bleach and coffee are my friends (ginger ale and crackers are hers). And that productivity I was looking forward to? Well, that’s going to have to happen tomorrow.

Hey, maybe Tuesday will become my favorite day? I’ll sure get a lot less weird looks when I talk about it!

Mondays

I’m pretending today is Monday. Yesterday was actually Monday, but yesterday was a terrible day. So I’m pretending it didn’t happen. I want a do-over.

See, I love Mondays. It’s the beginning of a new week. The house is empty once again with everyone else back in school or work. I’m inspired and motivated. If my FitBit tracked productivity rather than steps, you’d see a huge uptick on Mondays, followed by a slow but steady decline the rest of the week.

This is sort of what it would look like--it was the closest graph I could find. At least the shape is close!

It’s the same reason why I love the new year, both Jewish and secular. I get a chance to start again—to make myself a better person (or try; I’m a work in progress) and I get to set a goal of cleaning out the house (which, when living with a bunch of packrats is a never-ending battle).

I love the beginning of each season, too. The first snow is exciting, the leavings beginning to turn, the trees beginning to bud, the first warm day. Of course, since there are only about 3 days a year whose temperature keeps me comfortable, I’m usually done with the seasons after that, but it’s the beginnings that I love.

So you all go along with your Tuesday. I know I’m in the minority when it comes to loving Mondays. But I’m still going to pretend.

Mondays

Mondays are usually my favorite day of the week. To me, they’re like New Year’s Day or the beginning of each season—they’re the start of a brand new week.

I get to start at the top of my to-do list. I get a do-over. I get to chart a new course. Was I a slug last week? I can change that and add oomph to my productivity. Was I cranky this past weekend? I can be extra nice, cook a special dinner, bake “please forgive me” cookies. Was last week particularly rough? I can take a deep breath and appreciate the fact that I made it through, knowing that this week has to be easier.

Anything can happen.

Sure, they’re also nice because everyone leaves for work and school, giving me a nice peaceful house, but that’s an added bonus. It’s nice to take in the quiet, reset my brain, feed the introvert in me before I have to smile and jump into the much-loved chaos of family.

Except this week, Monday is not my most favorite day. There are things I must do that I’ve been dreading, and Monday is not making me happy. This Monday is the end of the anticipation. After today, I’ll be done, I’ll have my answers, and I’ll be able to make a new plan.

So I’m going to look ahead to Tuesday. Tuesday is going to be my do-over day. Because after today, everything really will be brand new and different. And twenty-four hours can only last so long.

Groundhog Day

Today is Groundhog Day. I’m sorry, but that has to be the stupidest holiday ever. The one day a year when normally intelligent people decide to let a rodent take precedence over science. Seriously? Seasons are determined by the Earth’s spin axis tilted with respect to its orbital plane, not by rodents. Spring ALWAYS starts on March 20/21. For those of us who know how to count, that is LITERALLY six weeks away. So spring will start in six weeks, REGARDLESS of what the weather itself is going to do and whether or not a stupid rodent sees its shadow. And the only ones who know what the weather is going to do are meteorologists (and then only some of the times). So if we’re going to celebrate the day, let’s find other reasons.

Such as…

Today is Monday. The beginning of the week. My favorite day of the week, because I get some much-needed alone time. Not that I don’t love my family. I do. But after a weekend of all of us being together all of the time, the introvert in me needs a little space. Just a few hours to breathe. And the anal part of me needs to get back to my schedule in order to make sense of my world. It’s like hitting the Do-Over button every week, the ability to start over and try something new. Last week was awful? Okay, this week will be better. Didn’t get to something before? Let’s try it again now.

Today is a snow day. Because it’s winter, and winter means snow. No matter how much I may complain that I’m cold (technically, I’m cold nine months out of the year, and occasionally the other three from too much air conditioning), it’s supposed to be cold this time of year. It’s supposed to snow. This is normal weather for the season. So as much as I may not like it, I really do have to deal with it. And I have it pretty easy since 95% of the time my husband is the one who does the snow blowing. But the kids are home, again. And my husband is home, although that one was my doing (I figured it was easier than hearing about how his coworkers bet on when I’d make my usual call to “request” that he comes home due to bad weather). And the dog is most displeased with having to go outside in the snow. But rather than complain about it, let’s enjoy ourselves. It means we get to throw our calendars out the window and sleep in and hang out together. Snow days are fun, even if they do throw everything out of whack.

Do you need other reasons to celebrate today? How about:

• New Amsterdam (later New York City) became a city on this day in 1653.
• In 1709, British sailor Alexander Selkirk is rescued after being marooned on a desert island for 5 years, his story inspires "Robinson Crusoe."
• 1st ship load of Chinese arrive in SF in 1848.
• In 1852, 1st British public men's toilet opens (Fleet St London).
• Samuel Clemens becomes Mark Twain for first time in 1863.
• In 1893, 1st movie close-up (of a sneeze), Edison studio, West Orange, NJ.
• NYC's Grand Central Terminal opens in 1913.
• In 1922, James Joyce's "Ulysses" published in Paris (1,000 copies).
• Ethyl gasoline 1st marketed, Dayton, Ohio in 1923.
• In 1932, Al Capone sent to prison (Atlanta, Georgia).
• President Harry Truman urges congress to adopt a civil rights program in 1948.
• In 1950, 1st broadcast of "What's My Line" on CBS-TV.
• US female Figure Skating championship won by Dorothy Hamill in 1975.
• In 1977, Radio Shack officially begins creating TRS-80 computer.
• South Africa's Pres FW de Klerk promises to free Nelson Mandela & legalizes ANC & 60 other political orgs in 1990.

Please, ANYTHING but Groundhog Day!