Thank God it’s Today
It’s Friday afternoon! Fridays occupy MVP-type status among the days of the week. Indeed, folks in elevators, colleagues near coffee stations, and students of all ages have an extra bounce to their step as they routinely proclaim: “Thank God it’s Friday.” Everyone within earshot generally flashes a smile and nods in agreement. After all, Friday is the end of the week for most – an opportunity to get away from the stresses of work, kick back and let the games, the party, and the fun begin.
The polar opposite reaction is accorded Mondays, the bastard step-child of the week. Many feel depressed as they awake early on Monday morning and contemplate the challenges of the upcoming week. Their dismal outlook is shared with others with the common refrain, “I hate Mondays.” Mid-week people often “can’t believe it is only Wednesday,” wishing for the quick passage of the next couple of days.
These expressions convey the message to the brain’s limbic system and the world at large that weekends are great and that weekdays essentially suck. But where would be without weekdays and the work week? The light bulb, the airplane, the internet and most of society’s inspiring inventions were not likely created on a Saturday or a Sunday: Al Einstein was likely getting his hair done, the Wright Brothers were presumably in Church, and Al Gore was no doubt attending a climate change rally.
The truth is that we humans are the luckiest species alive- EVERY day of the week. Our very existence is mind-boggling: the nearly perfect amalgamation of more than 37 TRILLION cells, 206 bones, a heart that can beat over 3 Billion times in an average lifetime, and numerous other complex organs and interconnected systems that interact seamlessly with one another (at least until we screw it up by sitting on the couch and consuming bacon potato chips). And we are provided with an amazing brain that allows us to think and learn and talk and communicate and love and experience joy and excitement, as well as the ability to change our attitude and how we perceive our reality.
But our incredible luck as humans is not limitless. There is a 4th quarter and the game eventually ends, even if we are fortunate enough to make it to overtime. And weekdays represent 71.4% of our days. No one appreciates that reality more than folks, like my wife, who serve as hospice nurses, helping people manage the very end stage of life in a way that is hopefully at least peaceful and ideally meaningful. While few would choose to have death as their daily companion, it does provide a constant reminder of the fragility of life and the importance of savoring each day.
Thus, while weekends are clearly a nice change of pace and admittedly awesome, we are foolish not to seek joy and fulfillment in every day we are fortunate to have. Adopting this mantra may help change our perspective about the work week and life in general. Moreover, if we can manage to project these positive vibes to others it just might produce a collective attitude adjustment about the days of the week, and get Monday out of therapy.
So next time you hear someone rejoice with the TGIF mantra, or complain about weekdays, perhaps a friendly retort should be “Thank God it’s Today!“
