I don’t have to explain the negative emotions we associate with Monday. Simply said, they suck. No one loves Mondays (and if you do- you’re the same annoying jerk in school that loved pop quizzes). We all dread the hangover effect this dismal day has on us after a glorious weekend of freedom. Perhaps you’re feeling that way today? I sure was.
I recently started a new job that has me commuting to Boulder about once a month, and I spent the entire first month on-boarding there. Without telling a long drawn out story, some pretty terrible things happened back in Nashville when I was in Boulder that I had to come home to. Ever since, I’ve been dreading my next trip out there. Not because what happened has anything to do with Boulder itself- but when tragedy hits we often negatively associate the hurt with where we were at the time. And I have been. Boulder was where I naively was existing while important parts of my life were crumbling to pieces unbeknownst to me. So today, on a Monday chalk full of symbolism, I’m headed back.
I don’t think it’s so much Monday itself we dread, but what Monday stands for. It’s starting over. It’s a daunting beginning. We stand at the start, staring at all that’s ahead of us. We can dread it all we want, but we can’t live in Sunday forever.
In attempt to shift my perspective, I’m making a conscious effort to look at this Monday through a new lens. So today, I’m choosing to embrace this beginning not as a burden, but as a fresh start. It’s a blank page we can write anyway we’d like- so I for one, am going to fill it with more of what I love.
Today I’m going to travel. I’m going to marvel at the Flatirons and thank God for his beautiful creation. I’m going to go to a job that I love that provides me with the kick-ass life I get to live. I’m going to enjoy an extra hour of daylight and be SO glad it’s not dark at 5pm (can I get an amen?) I’m going to eat a delicious dinner and sip red wine. I'm going to watch The Bachelor finale (don't judge) with girlfriends and sip more red wine. I’m going to take a bubble bath and read a good book before getting in my hotel bed that I don’t have to make tomorrow morning.
What are you going to do? How can you make today filled with more of what you love? How can you kick-start your week in a way that makes Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday have big shoes to fill? I don’t mean to sound like a cheerleader jacked up on caffeine or imply that every Monday has to be great. But what if we make an effort to not let one-seventh of our life always be dreadful? What if even just this one is better?
Let’s be mavericks. Let’s have another cup of coffee and let’s make today freaking awesome.
